Johannas Story
by Skywitch91
Summary: This is my version of Johannas Hunger games and her experiences after. Begins the reaping of the 71st Hunger Games.
1. Chapter 1

**So this is my new story. I've always wanted to write about Johannas games because she is my favourite character in the Trilogy. So, why not? This is my Version of Johannas Games.**

Reaping for the 71st Hunger games Johannas POV:  
I hurl the axe at the tree in anger. Mine, Hunters, Mums, Dads. They all land on the target except for Hunters. It was his favourite axe, and since he died it's become mine. I use it for training. I've trained myself and Hunter since I understood what the games meant. Hunter was younger than me by a year. He was reaped at 13. And even my training and his Job as a wood cutter couldn't save him. The legendary Finnick Odair is still the youngest Victor at 14. Most are around 16, like last years Victor Annie Cresta. I hear she's turned into a Nutcase though.

I climb across from my tree house into my bedroom window. Mum and Dad think I'm getting ready for the reaping. But i'm getting in some last minuite training. It helps take my mind off the town square. I cry every year, because my cousin ethan was Whipped to death on the stocks behind the stage. Just the thought drowns me as I pull on an outfit. I make my way to the reaping by myself. Hunter was my best friend, I didnt't need anyone else.

The whole District is standing in the town square. We are a small District, and I'm already crying as I take my place in the 16 section. The loose dress I pulled on makes me look younger, especially with my hair brown hair round my shoulders. The escort comes out onto the stage and begins the reaping. I am sobbing at this point, I can see Ethan strapped to the stocks, crying as the life bleed out of him. I Come back my senses as the escort screams out "Johanna Mason". This just reminds me of Hunter as I sob even Harder. I almost fall over making my way to the stage. I must look weak and pitiful to the rest of Panem. And then I get my key to victory. The careers overlook the weak kids that aren't killed in the bloodbath, and they hunt down the bigger threats. This is my key to success. She reaps a boy called Forest. He is 18, and I recognise him from Hunters funeral. Years as working as a woodcutter has made him big and muscled, making me look smaller as I stand next to him. Hunching over adds to the impression. The escort makes us shake hands and we go into the Justice building, The same way Hunter did.


	2. Chapter 2

I continue to sob until we get inside our rooms for goodbyes. Then I stop and begin to take in my surroundings. One of my useful qualities is I can easily memorise lots of things. And I have a photographic memory. I will remember this room for the rest of my life- And if my plan doesn't work, that might not be for very long. Outside, I hear a peacekeeper say "You have 10 miniutes" and mum and dad come rushing in. They both pull me into a hug. No words need to be said. We have all been here before. "Ill do my best". I say. And then we just hold each other, Our small Family which is missing 2 members. I begin to cry again, because I know they think I looked weak, and it will dissapoint them. I don't want this to be there last memory of them. I give them both a small smile as they leave. I sit alone for the rest of the hour. There is no-one else I love. No-one I mean anything to.

Finally our escort Puff comes to collect us. We stand outside the train for photos and I make sure to trip up the steps as we get on. Inside, I am shocked by the Decor. It is by far the most amazing thing i've ever seen. Forest manages to keep a straight face, but I can see the excitement in his eyes. Not bad for his last week alive. Then I notice a man watching us in the corner of the Carrige. Our Victor, Blight. A alcoholic, Spends his time in the Capitol passing a bottle back and forth with Haymitch and chaff, Victors from 12 and 11 respectively. Our 3 Districts have the least amount of Victors. There is also the other Victor, Charlie. She volounteered for her 12 year old sister at 18, and Won the games by becoming the most violent person ever seen in the arena. And there have been Victors who rip throats out, so thats saying just smirks at me. "So" Our escort says. "Who wants who?". Blight looks at me and I see amusement and Understanding in his eyes. "I want the girl" He says. "Good I don't want her. She'll be a bloodbath" Says Charlie. I almost make a sarcastic comment but I manage to hold it back, letting out a little whimper and running to my room which Puff had pointed out. I flop onto my bed. There is a knock at the door. I fill my eyes with tears as I open the door to see Blight standing there. He barges in and shuts the door. "You can drop the act now sweetheart". He laughs at my shocked face. "I won the games with my brains. I'm the only one who noticed". I grin at him, my eys automatically drying. "Clearly everyone isn't as clever as us". He grins as well and says "Just keep the act up. You won't get any sponsors, but If what your brother said about you was true, you won't need them". I just look at him. He laughs at me. "Lets go watch the reaping. Start Crying stupid".


	3. Chapter 3

**So this Chapter is a rewrite for anyone who's wondering. The first time I wrote it, it was, well, Rubbish. So i've rewrote it and corrected a lot of things, if you notice anything else please tell me. Its still pretty short, but its a lot better. If you think this is bad, imagine how bad the old one was :) Thanks guys, enjoy the updated Chapter- Skywitch xo**

Charlie smirks as me and Blight enter the compartment. I'm still sobbing Pitifully, and I must look tiny compared to Forest. The escort Puff tells us happily we will watch the reaping and then we will eat. She babbles on for too long before the TV turns on by itself. The TV is Huge. I bet Hunter was as speechless as I am. I bet he cried as much too. Cesear Flickermans face, this year coloured Light Blue, smiles at us and announces the start of the reaping. District 1 are small, but I can tell they are strong, and both volounteers. The girl volunteer's for a twelve year old who bursts into tears as she runs off stage and into her older brothers arms. Then when the boy is picked, he pushes her aside to volunteer himself for the boy. 'What a lovely relationship' I think to myself When District 2 comes on, Charlie says "Remember that District 2 females favour throwing knives". But I have already noticed that she favours swords. She bounces on the balls of her feet, and she is swift and quick. The boy is also a volounteer, and looks smaller than most District 2 boys. Either way, he bares his teeth at the camera as the younger boy he volunteered for happily jumps off stage. District 3 have two small 15 year olds, both with static filled hair and round glasses. The girls eyes fill with tears as she looks over her homeland. District 4 are both volounteers, and look around 17. The girl is pretty, as is the boy, both tanned with golden hair and green eyes. District 5 are both 12, small and both in tears. District 6 are the same as usual, the girl 14, and the boy 15, both small and thin. For our District, I look weak and small compared to Hunter, who looks like a contender. I pretend to not pay attention after this, but I do. The tributes from 8 are 13, and they're twins. They hold hands as the peacekeepers escort them into the justice building. The tributes from 9 are both 12, and im willing to bet they'll both die in the Bloodbath. Ten's tributes are a wispy 12year old girl called Kaya and a boy called Thomas, who looks about 16. Blight mentions that he is the cousin of one of the District 10 mentors. In 11, the boy is only 12, and the girl is 17. Her name is Maddie and she volounteers for a girl who Charlie mentions is the mayors daughter. The boy from 12 is also 12 years old, and the girl is 14, but she has the look of a fighter about her. After the reapings, we sit down to eat dinner. Hunter hoovers down 3 plates of food, whilst I pick at 1. I run to my room as soon as Charlie starts talking strategy. Its time to start my own training. In my room, I order plates of food, and tell the avoxes to bring knives and Ropes. They do, and I get down to training. I throw knives which is actually like throwing axes, and I practice tieing knots. I am going to win these stupid games.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning the escort comes to wake me. An avox took the plates and training things away so she won't realise anything. She tells me that we're nearly at the capitol, and I should eat some breakfast. I go and pick at breakfast, and then go back to my room and eat some food there. I get an avox to take the food away again. The escort comes in and says that were at the Capitol. I think of Hunter, and Ethan, and mum and dad, and tears spring into my eyes. I need to keep up my act in the Capitol.

I go to the Dining car and everyone is running around. Forest looks bored, and is leaning against the window. I stand there awkwardly until we are pushed the open door, and we finally see the Capitol. The cameras don't lie about how amazing it is. All of the buildings all bright colours and the sun is shining. I can't see it clearly through my tears, but the look on Forests face pretty much sums it up. They take us into the training centre and drag me towards the elevators. The escort tells me that she's taking us to prep for the chariot tides. I already know that we'll be dressed as trees. District 7 has been for the past 30 years apparently. I just need a way to look weak in a big tree costume.  
My prep team are the most annoying creatures I have ever met. They laughed at me as I cried through the whole prep. It took my whole will power to not say something sarcastic. They left and told me my stylist would be through soon. He did come and bought a tree costume. Amazing. Its big on me, and I should be able to hunch over to look small. My stylist pulls my hair up into a bun and pushes me into the elevator to the chariots. In the stables, most of the tributes are already there. District 1 is sparkly. District 2 have swords and they handle them easily. District 3 are flashing, covered in little Led's. District 4 are fish. District 5 are light. District 6 is absent. We are trees again. It makes Forest look bigger and me look smaller. Its brilliant actually. District 8 and 9 aren't here. District 10 are Cowboys. 11 are some sort of farmers. District 12 are naked and covered in coal dust. They are both red in the face. A voice says " Tributes to your chariots" and the Chariot rides begin.

**Hope you like tis chapter. Thanks to Lya200 for reviewing. Go check out my other story, The 143rd Hunger games. Cookies for reviews- Skywitch xo**


	5. Chapter 5

Training

The Chariot rides last night made me look even weaker. Especially when I nearly fell off the Chariot. Today is the first day of Training. Puff calls us down to breakfast and Blight and Charlie ask us about our skills. Forest says he can use axes, and throw them, so charlie tells him to try spears. They both look at me, because i'm crying again, and tell me to try the survival stations. I am thankful that the training clothes are baggy and hides some of my muscles from the other tributes. Today I need to watch the other Tributes and see what they are good at. At 10, we head down to the Training center. The axes amaze me, but I know I need to stay away and look weak. Instead, when they dismiss us, I begin crying again and head to the edible plants station. I get all of them wrong, but I am secretly memorising everything. I have a good memory, I might as well use it. I cry the whole way through though, and that takes up some of my mind. Once I take the test again and get 11/150, I go to the fire building station and accidently on purpose set my outfit on fire, all whilst picking up useful tips. Then I go to the Spear station were Forest hits the target 9/10 times, and I purposely miss. The trainer shows me how to do it and I memorise this, managing to hit the floor again. The trainer sighs and tries to show me again, but the bell goes for lunch. I sit by myself Crying. This plan might actually work.

I do pretty much the same everyday. On day 3, We have our gamemaker sessions. Forest says he's going to climb, throw axes and spears, and identify plants. He gets a 9, marking him as a serious competitior. I go in and cry. I throw a spear that misses my about 2 meters. I get 32/150 on the edible plants test. I fall off the climbing wall. And then I sit there and cry until they tell me to leave. I am glad when I score a 2. Worse than the 12 year olds from 5 as charlie points out. They both get 4's. They send us to bed because we have to be up early to get ready for the interviews. I need to make sure I fail at this as well.

**Finally got another Chapter up for this. I'm really sorry about the slow updates. I know this Chapter is rushed, but I can't wait to get to the games. Check out my other story, the 143rd Hunger games. Reviews?- Skywitch xo**


	6. Chapter 6

The escort wakes us up early the next day saying we have a 'big big day ahead of us'. She is too happy for this early on a morning. I go to breakfast forcing tears into my eyes. Seriously by the end of these games I'm going to be out of years for the rest of my life. Charlie and blight tell us that today we will be prepared for our interviews. We will have four hours with puff, and then four hours with our mentors. They tell me I will start with blight, and he leads me into his room. ''So you already have a strategy?'' ''Obviously'' I reply sarcastically. At least I can use some sarcasm on Blight. Honestly I'm going to enjoy the arena more than this. I won't miss being here. We go to lunch and then puff takes me with her. I cry lots as she tries to teach me to walk in heels, but I purposely fall over with every step I take, and I make sure to almost rip the long dress a few times. Then we practice manners, which I don't have to pretend to be bad at, and we practice posture, but I stay slouching over. I need to be the worst, if I get even one sponsor other people will want to sponsor me and then my plan will have failed.

The next morning Puff wakes us up early once again. Today we eat breakfast and then we are automatically whisked away to prep for the interview. My prep team do my hair and makeup for around 3 hours, and then they spend and hour with body painting. It would look good unless my plan goes to ... Well plan. They put the dress on and it is the prettiest thing I've ever seen. I would almost feel bad. Puff takes us down to the interviews. Blight comes to me and says loudly ''try not to cry the whole way through'' but he winks at me as he says it. All the tributes line up and I cry as the interviews begin.

**Sorry for the mistakes in this chapter. I'm uploading it off my phone and I'm hoping autocorrect did some of the work. Thanks to aprilgirl01 for reviewing And for the help :) Cookies for reviewers - skywitch xo**


	7. Chapter 7

The boy from 1 goes out onto the stage, to loud applause. I'm nervous. What if I can't do this, what if I get sponsors, what if my plan fails. I like living. I'm a fighter, but I don't want to die. If this fails, I'm toast. I won't get sponsors and people won't want to sponsor me. They'll just pass me off as another useless kid who dies in the games. District 2 is up. 3. 4. The boy from 5 makes the audience laugh lots. The girl is unusually quiet. 6. Then Cesear Flickerman calls out ''Johanna Mason''. I burst into tears but I am mentally steeling myself for what I am about to do. I go out onto the stage, slowly and then I move my foot so I am standing on the edge of my dress, and just like I planned, it rips right up the front. The audience is silent. You can only hear my wailing and the laughter of the other tributes. They think I'm just a weak little joke. It's brilliant. The Capitol women are openly crying as Cesear guides me to the seats. I am still crying and I trip and stumble as I make my way over. Caesar smiles and says ''Well that was an entrance, Miss Mason''. I nod and carry on sobbing hard, the crowd is almost laughing at me. I am helpless, weak. I can't wait till I shock them all. Cesear tries to get me to talk but I continue to cry. He asks me about my training score and I whimper ''I did better than I thought'' and I wail loudly until my buzzer goes off. I stumble as I make my way to the seats. My master plan worked amazingly, the Capitol freaks are actually openly laughing at me. I don't need to fake cry as I imagine what mum and dad think.

''What the hell was that'' Charlie yells as we get out the elevator. I cry even more aa she goes into a big rant aboit dissapointing the district and boring stuff like that. What has the district ever done for me. Killed me cousin. Reaped my brother. Thanks District 7. Blight yells at me, but he is laughing behind the anger. He takes me to my room and congratulates me on my performance. '' Games tommorow'' he reminds me. ''You can stop then''. I grin and get into bed. I am ready for the games.

**Next up is the games. Then It gets exciting :) -Skywitch xo**


	8. Chapter 8

The Bloodbath Part 1

''Johanna, it's time to get up'' screeches puff. I roll over and pull myself out of bed. Today I could die, but tommorow I could already be winning the games. Blight comes into my room and says ''I'll see you soon''. At least one person has confidence in me.

I go to breakfast where Forest and Charlie are already eating. Charlie is actually telling Forest what to expect on the Victory Tour. I almost laugh. I can't wait to say I told you so when I get home. I'm going to do it. I'll kill forest if I have to. I don't care about District 7, I just want to go home to mum and dad. Puff comes over to us with tears in her eyes and says ''It time to go now Darlings. Good Luck'' she hugs us both and hands us over to our stylists. Even though I'm starting to feel a bit nervous, nothing can take away the wonder of the view from the hovercraft. It takes us over miles of water, and I'm starting to feel a bit sick by the time we land. What horrors will await me in the arena? I think over this question hundreds of times. The thought I don't want to die also flashes through my brain. But I'm not going to die. I'm going to win, and become a victor, and be left alone for the rest of my life.

The stylist takes me down to the slaughter room below the arena. I'm hoping it's a forest, I would be comfortable with that. With thick trees as well, and lots of plants and animals. They dress me in my outfit. I am crying at this point. I have camo pants, with pockets, and a big Jacket which is heavy. We have leather boots, and a green tshirt. Me and the stylist sit in silence as we wait. I sob quietly, and he doesn't have anything to say to me, I ruined his dress. Finally a voice calls ''20 seconds to launch''. The stylish pushes me into the tube and tells me I'm going to need all the look I can get. But I'll show them all.

We have to stand on our plates for 60 seconds. Time to formulate a game plan. The arena is good for me. There are lots are tall trees, all with orange leaves like in autumn. The leaves will however leave a crunchy path to walk on. I think I see movements of animals, but I'm not sure. 30 seconds. The other side of me is more trees, but there is a big hill there. I have a feeling post people will go there. 20 seconds. I need to try and get a back pack and then find water. 10 seconds. No sponsors to help me. 5 seconds. I'm scared now. 4. 3. 2. 1. The gong goes off and all hell breaks loose.

**Okay, the bloodbath is next chapter. And I don't want to confuse anyone but I call Fall autumn, so I'm sorry if that's not what you call it. Thank you to aprilgirl01, she came up with the arena idea and you will see the rest of it soon. Reviews please :)- Skywitch xo**


	9. Chapter 9

Bloodbath Part 2-

The gong goes off and all hell breaks loose. I run straight to a biggish backpack not fair from me, and I grab some rope as well. I'm going to need these basic supplies. I swing the backpack over me and I run as fast as I can. I get out of the cornucopia clearing and then I climb a tree like a monkey. I want to know what is going on. And it's chaos. The boys from 1 and 2 are back to back and both have Bows and a quiver of arrows, shooting down moving targets. The girls from 2 and 4 having throwing knives and both release them so fast you don't see them until they got the target. And then the girl from 1 and the boy from 4 both bounce around with lightness on their feet, and they both carry swords. The boy carries a long sword, and the girl has 2 short, light ones. And then, there's a person I didn't want to see. Forest is standing near the careers holding an axe. And when the last of the tributes scatter or die, he goes to them and says '' how many was that you reckon?''. They all shrug and go inside the cornucopia to search for stuff. I turn around and open up my backpack. I have the 3 meters of rope, a bottle of water, some jerky and some rolls. Then I also have a bottle of iodine, which will help when I find water. I grin and begin climbing across the trees. I'm too near the careers to be on the ground. I almost laugh as I imagine how confused Charlie is. She expected me to be dead already. The bloodbath cannons begin to go off. Boom... Boom... Boom... Boom... All the way up to 12. Half of us gone in the first few hours. I need to be careful. The careers are dangerous this year.

When I'm certain I'm far enough from the careers, I jump down the tree and begin to look for food. My brain managed to pick up how to make some traps in training, so I crouch down and begin to make that. But actually, I haven't seem any animals yet. Which is strange, because we're in the forest. But they're probably just hiding. They might be out Tomorrow. I climb up another tree as night sets in. The panem anthem begins to play. I shows both from 3, the girl from 5, both from 6, both from 8, both from 9, the girl from 10, the boy from 11 and the boy from 12. District 7 is still in the running and so are all of the careers. 3,6,8 and 9 are all out completely and 5, 10, 12 and 11 all have on left. These games are going to be short if the careers carry on like this. I wrap my coat around me as I belt my self into the tree. But the I hear something. Below me the girl from 12 is asleep against the tree trunk. She is tucked in a sleeping bag, and has a backpack next to her. I need that valuable loot. And my luck has held out, because in her hand, she is clutching an axe. I need to move fast. But I'm not going to run. I'm going to fight. I grab some of my room and make the end into a large noose. I hook my legs over the edge of the branch. I slip the noose round her neck. She stays asleep. And then I pull. The girl jolts awake the find herself being strangled. She struggles and waves the axe around but I am out of reach. I sob and I pull harder, making sure it is completely cutting of her air supply. I can't. I need to. I can't. I almost scream as I snap it and the cannon goes off. I broke her neck. I cry as I slip down the trunk. These are genuine tears. I just killed someone. But as I take up her axe and her sleeping bag and her backpack full of food, I know it was worth it.


	10. Chapter 10

Day 2 of the 71st hunger games-

I feel like I've been walking forever. The arena is huge. There are so many tree and ditches and rocks and caves and bushes. People could hide in here forever. I still however haven't noticed any animals. There's plenty of food- nuts and berries and bark- but nothing to eat them. Except us. And I take advantage of the no animals and strip the branches of their fruits. And then I here the dreaded sounds of the careers making their way through the trees. I'd heard a cannon earlier that day and knew they were on the hunt, but I'd hoped they'd go to the hill rather than the forest. But apparently not. I quickly climb up a big tree. Even with my axe, I can't take on all of them at the same time. Forest is trailing behind, the boy from 2 leading the way. They must have found someone this morning. I wont know till tonight, when they play the recaps. They are talking about the kill, which sounds like a horrible way to go. I stay up the tree until the are a well away, but I can hear them arguing. Then ther. Is screams and the boom of a cannon. 9 left in the games, and I'm thinking that was one of the careers. 12 from the bloodbath, the girl from 12( my eyes fill with tears thinkinf about it), the one killed this morning, and one of the careers. These are going to be a short games. Hopefully I'll have to watch a shorter recaps when I leave. I just want to go home. I don't want to be In this forest with no animals and kids out to kill me. thus isn't right. Why hasn't there been a rebellion yet? If I get out of here, I want to be the rallying point for the Districts. Someone needs to, and 7 isnt a rubbish district with no victors. It won't be anyone from 11 or 12 at least.

I continue to make my way across the Arena. It's a massive arena. It cant really get worse than this. But as I think this, I realize I'm wrong. The ground begins to shake. No one expected this, not after the flood that happened last year. But the ground shakes and trees begin to fall. I run around blindly in the haze of smoke that has come around as the ground still shakes. There are no cannons, it's just here to frighten us. But as the smoke lifts I see the real reason. The arena has transformed. Instead of a forest, it is now a wasteland of fallen and dead trees. There are big ditches where the tree roots were. It will make running away and hiding even harder. There are a few small trees, but they mostly have other trees lieing on top of them. There are caves and bushes still, but they are more obvious. As it gets to dark I climb up a small leafy tree and tie myself in. The anthem shows the girl from 1, the boy from 4 and the girl from 12. I go to sleep with tears in my eyes.


	11. Chapter 11

Day 3-

The next day I wake up before the sun. It is warm even though its night. Or maybe its my big thick Jacket. I'm sure it weighs more than me. No wonder the 12 year old go in the bloodbath. The wouldn't be able to run in this. Today I have a plan. Someone needs to get rid of the Careers. And it won't be anyone else. They will split up to hunt now, because there are less people, and this will be the easiest time to kill them off. I just need to walk for a bit.

I have walked for hours when there is noise from crashing through the bushes. It is just one person though, not the whole Career pack. I quickly tuck my axe under my jacket so it's not noticeable. Just in time, as the boy from 1 crashes into the area. "Look its the baby from 7" He says gleefully. He pulls out a small dagger and hurls it at me. I only just manage to duck in time. He is tall, 18, and must weigh tons more than me. He laughs and pulls out another dagger, a longer one this time. And he jumps. I only just manage to get out of the way in time. He sprawls on the ground, and I scamper away to the other side of the clearing. I need to stay looking weak, I need to get sponsors out of this. They will write off my one kill as a fluke, that it was just luck. I won't get any sponsors for it. Especially after I cried. I need this kill. If I don't kill him, he'll kill me. And that can't happen. The boy gets up and wields his dagger. He jumps at me again. And this time I charge at him. His face creases into a look of surprise, but it quickly changes. As we meet, I pull out my axe and swing it hard. It digs into the side of his ribs. Whilst I do this he stick his dagger into the side of my left arm, which I barely feel. I am running on adrenaline. I pull my axe out he screams and I punch the cut hard. Then I swing the axe again, cleanly decapitating him. The cannon goes off. I won the fight. I'm injured, but I could be worse off. The head on the floor proves that. I cut off his backpack and look inside it. He has a full bottle of Water, some more dried meat, 2 daggers and some more rope. I put it all inside my original Backpack.

***Blights POV* **

I grin as my girl takes the backpack and continues into the forest. The mentors are looking at me and I lean back into the chair. "What" I ask Charlie, who is staring at me with anger and shock on her face. "Forest was meant to win. But shes going to come home instead. Forest is my Nephew. He was going to come home". I feel bad but not for long. Johannas sponsor account is almost full. I click on the screen to send her something to put on the cut. She needs to be ready to fight.

***And back to Johannas Pov***

I'm sitting up another tree when the parachute comes down. I grin as I open it to reveal something to spread on my cut. I'm going to need this. It would be deadly for it to get infected. I sip some water as the Anthem plays. It just shows the boy from 1. I grantee the Careers are confused. And I don't need to cry tonight. Im closer to getting home to mum and dad. 16 gone, 7 left to kill.

**Last chapter got 2 Reviews, which doesn't sound like a lot, but its cool to me. Thanks guys. Try and beat it for this chapter maybe? Thanks guys- Skywitch xo**


	12. Chapter 12

Well i am annoyed. I wrote this whole chapter and my phone crashed before I could save it. So sorry if this chapter is really bad, I'm just kind of annoyed.

Day 4-

*Blights POV*

I have been awake keeping an eye on Johanna all night. She is safe. There are no tributes within 3 miles, a lake, bushes full of berries, and more trees for her to climb. She is warm in her sleeping bag and my computer tells me her vital signs are as they should be. Her arm is almost healed, she will be okay. Charlie yelled at me for practically killing her nephew, but I told her Johanna hasn't won yet. I want her to. I don't want to lose another tribute.

*And back to Johannas POV*

I wake up before the sun again. I am warm and safe, and almost fully healed. 7 more to kill and then I can go home. I'm planning to rest today, and to go get some more water from the lake nearby. I stretch and grab my backpack and put my sleeping bag inside it. Then I jump out the small tree and trek to the lake. When I get there, I notice that the lake has been covered in a thin layer of algae. I lean over and begin to search for my bottles and purification tablets. As I'm doing this the end of my rope falls in the lake. It sizzles and then the end of the rope is no more. I just stare at it, and then at the lake. The gamemakers have made the lake a lake with acidic algae, one that will most likely kill you. But I could get the algae off, and get the water out. ''Hey Blight, could I get a bucket? And a steel glove''. The parachute arrives a few minutes later. It contains a big bucket, and a steel glove that will hopefully keep the algae off me. I get a bucket of the algae filled water, and take it back to the tree I was camped up earlier. I take the algae out and throw it on the ground. Then I fill the bottles and purify them. I collect up the acidic algae. I might need it later.

*Blights POV*

That's my girl. Shes even keep some of the algae, and I'm sure that could cause some damage. The mentors are looking at me in shock again. From 1 and 2 they all look angry. Finnick from 4 seems annoyed, and Annie has her hands over her ears. The male from 5 is drunk, but seems mad. Charlie is fuming. The rest of the mentors go from annoyed to smug to angry, and then they all sit down as we hear a scream from the monitors.

*5 minutes ago, Johannas POV*

There is a noise behind me. The girl from 2 is coming out from behind a tree. She is holding a sword and smirking. "The midget from 7" She says jokingly. "You ready to die". I almost snarl at her. "You wish" I say back. And then I pull out my axe and Charge. She sidesteps and swings her sword but it misses by a few inches. She is smiling, still looking confident. I am faking scared, but I am bursting inside. She's going to die, i'm going to survive. I dash behind her and shove her hard, sticking my axe into her ankle. She falls forward and her hands fall into the lake. And she screams. She pulls them out, and then she has no hands. The skin and bone is crumbling. Her sword is on the ground and she tries to pick it up but she no longer has any hands. She is screaming, and looks at me with pained eyes. "Please" she says. "Please". I sink my axe into her skull and the cannon fires. I pick up her sword and head back to the trees. 17 dead, 6 left. The Anthem just shows the girl from 2, and I can almost hear the Careers yelling. But the only ones left are Forest and the boy from 2 and the girl from 4. Also, there is the boy from 5, the boy from 10 and the girl from 11. I can't wait to go home.

**So yeah, sorry how bad that chapter is. Reviews?-Skywitchxo**


	13. Chapter 13

Day 5-

I wake up later the next morning. I am tired after my fight with the girl from 2 yesterday. I hate this. I want to go home. I've killed people. It's horrible. I hate this, I hate it, I want to go home, I think miserably. I don't want to cry again, but I am. I cry for the girls from 2 and 12 and the people , the children, that died in the bloodbath. I cry for my cousin and Hunter and mum and dad and everyone who's ever been in these games, even the victors. They are as broken as I am. And this is why I need to go home. I am already broken like a victor. I'll fit in well I think bitterly as I go to find some more good. I don't think the gamemakers will force us together today. There been so many deaths and it's only day 4. And I have a plan for today. I want to find some animals, I am fed up of eating berries and bark. I pick up m axe and head silently into the trees.

After creeping around for an hour I have still found nothing. There are no animals anywhere, and I know there should be. They can't have all been killed in the earthquake. I am aware of myself getting hungrier and bend down to get some berries. Whilst I am doing this, I hear the voices of the the three remaining careers. I quickly look around for a hiding place. I can take on one of them, but three at the same time would be suicide. I see a small cave that would just about fit me and I scramble in. It is dark, so I look around and find the flashlight that the girl from 2 had. And then I nearly Scream. Curled up in the corner of the cave, is a family of sleeping badgers. They are all fast asleep, and they are surrounded by leaves and bark and moss. And somehow, I realise that the animals are hibernating. Which means it's set to get colder. The arena is set it autumn, when animals hibernate. The longer we are in here, The colder it will get. And then I have more bad news. The careers are talking. And they have decided to set up camp right outside my cave. I just sit there, almost frozen in terror, but not quite. They don't know I'm here. They are just discussing ways to find some food. They obviously haven't figured out about the hibernating animals. Silently I pull out my axe, just in case they by some chance look inside the cave. I am aware of the Careers in close proximity, but I tuck my legs up and fall asleep next to the family of badgers.

**I am so sorry about this chapter. I wrote it all on my phone and my phone crashed again! So I had to rewrite on the computer and the first one was really good and this one is kind of not. So really sorry, I am going to try and fix my phone so it shouldn't happen again. Thanks guys- Skywitch xo**


	14. Chapter 14

Day 6-

I wake up next to the badgers, who are still fast asleep. It is silent outside, im hoping the Careers have gone away. I peek out, and the clearing is empty. No one died yesterday, so the Careers will be out for blood. Hopefully Ill be out of here soon, especially at the rate this is going. The boys from 2, 10 and 5. The girls from 4 and 11. And Forest and Me. A few days ago they will have done the interviews with mum and dad. I finally crawl out of the cave and stretch out. Only a few more kills. I go back to the poison lake and get some more water, and pick some more fruit. I eat an apple as I wander around the arena aimlessly. I just want to come across someone. And then someone comes across me. I hear a twig snap and then I am being held up by my hair.

***Blights POV***

I watch in horror as the girl I put hope into is held up by her long brown hair. The muscly girl from 11 is holding her up, and Johanna has a look of pain on her face. The girl had a 5-1 chance of winning on day 1, with a score of 10. The best non Career tribute, and the joint highest score. At the moment, her odds are still beating Johanna's. And it looks like they were right. She is whispering in Johanna's ear with a smug look. Her mentor Chaff looks at me and says "I'm sorry. She's just sick". The girl selects a small knife, and holds it over Johannas mouth. Johanna is swearing and yelling at her. As if anyone knew she could. I want to close my eyes. But I need to watch. Even if this is the end.

***Johanna's POV***

I swear and yell and kick and scream. I'm trying my hardest to trick this person that's holding me. I still don't know who it is. They are holding a little knife and it is just above my mouth. They told me they are going to make me an avox. I need to act as soon as they do. When they finally pull up their hand, I pull out one of my knives and cut my hair off. I drop down and run. Then I pull out my axe and turn round to see my competition. I was expecting a Career, however im facing the muscled girl from 11. She is stronger than me, and I remember she got one of the top scores. She is holding a light sword, and has a massive backpack on. Its almost bigger than me. She runs at me and swings her sword in a series of quick swipes. She is fast and well-trained. I also swings my axe, blade meeting blade. I pull mine out first and it grazes her rib whilst her sword grazes my left arm. I am right handed, so this doesn't matter. The cut in her ribs is deep, and it begins bleeding heavily. Our area is covered in blood. I jump over a fallen tree truck and swing my axe again, aiming for her neck. It missed but once again cuts her ribs, in the same place on the other side. Then she swings and I jump out the way. I begin to run. When I think she is further behind me I turn with my axe. But she is closer than I thought, and it cleanly decapitates her. The cannon fires. I am weak and bleeding and tired. I crawl to a tree, and climb slowly up to the top. I rub the dried blood out of my short hair. I see the anthem before I fall asleep. It shows the girl from 11. Only a few left. And then I can finally go home.

**I'm sorry, I know its been so long since the last update. I've been very busy. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Reviews?- Skywitch xo**


	15. Chapter 15

Day 7-

I wake up late after my fight and 7 days in the arena. I stay in my sleeping bag thinking about everything. Mum, dad, hunter and Ethan. The girl from 12, who I strangled on the first night. And then I burst into tears. She was 12, 13 at the most, and now shes dead because we we're forced into these barbaric games by the stupid Capitol. I want to go home. I cry for the hundreds of children who died in these arenas. I cry for hunter and Ethan. I cry for the children who have died in here, and will die at my hands before the end. And then I think about Blight, and Mum and dad, and I get out of my sleeping bag and start getting my things ready. I have been in the arena a week, and I don't intend to be here much longer. I grab my gear and begin walking again. There are 5 left beside me. The only ones left are Forest and the boy from 2 and the girl from 4, as well as the boy from 5 and the boy from 10. I set up some traps- for people and animals and sit in wait in a nearby tree. There is a noise that shows one of my traps has been activated, but it was just activated by something falling.

***Blights POV***

I scroll through the list of gifts I can send to Johanna. After her fight with the girl from 11, her sponsors dramatically increased. Me and Charlie decided to get her some treats for it- A new coat, a new axe, a small knife like the one she got from the girl, and new boots as hers have frayed and broke. We need to pick out her new axe. Charlie is looking for one that will almost guarantee her a win. We need someone to come back, and we know that this year, 7 is on for a winner. However we need to see if its going to be Forest or Johanna. Charlie pokes me and says "This one". I glance at it and shake my head. Only the best for my girl. And then I have an idea.

***Johannas Pov***

Even after lying in wait for several hours, no-one has come across my traps. Then the sound of a parachute floats through the trees. The parachute floats down onto the floor in front of the fallen tree im sitting in. I look around and quickly snatch it up. Inside there is a big fluffy coat which I pull round my shoulders. There is a small curved knife and some new, comfy boots. There is also some food. And at the bottom of the box there is an axe. Two of them. My axe. Hunters axe. They are the ones from home. I know they are. And as I curl up, I think of mum and Dad and Hunter, and I get a new determination to go home.

**So there is Chapter 15. Sorry if it isn't that good, I had no idea what to write. Reviews?-Skywitch xo**


	16. Chapter 16

Day 8-

I wake up with mine and Hunters axes still clutched in my hand. They are my new prized possesions. I thought only finnick odair had received a weapon in the arena, but maybe because there from home they didn't cost much. I'm positive that they are mine from home. They will leave the arena with me. I get up and stretch, immediately ready to go. There is a noise throughout the arena and then Caesar Flickermans voice is being broadcasted.

"Well done Tributes, for making it this far. We have a special surprise for you. at 12 o'clock noon, there will be a feast at the cornucopia. And you will want to attend this feast. Because soon you will need the prizes there".

The arena is plunged into silence once again. I sit down again and begin to think things through. A feast. A special surprise. A feast. You will want to attend. The prizes that we will need. And looking around, I notice that all the fruit has disappeared off the trees.

***Blights Pov***

Johanna is obviously going to go to the feast. We can both assume that it will consist of food, which Johanna needs desperately to survive. When I woke up this morning I tried to send her some food, but all of it has been taken off the gift menu. They need to go to the feast or they will die of starvation. Forest is with the Careers, so he has a bounty of food to chose from. But how long will that last? Another day? Maybe two? I need to send her something to make sure she goes. Then I have a good idea

***Johanna Pov***

There must be food at the feast. Should I go? I have food for another few days. What else do I need that might be there? Maybe something like gloves to protect my hands, as they are rubbed raw and bruised. Armour? I don't know what weapons the careers use, so I don't really know what would help me. I don't know whether to go or not. A parachute glides through the trees and lands at my lap. I open it and find a small wrist watch like the one Blight wears. There is a long note from Blight saying 'You need to go. 5 others left. I know you can do this. There will be food and more weapons. Good luck. Everyone is betting on you'.  
If Blight thinks its a good idea it must be. I need to go to the feast.

***Magical time break :)***

I crouch inside a tree near the cornucopia. There is no-one there yet and my watch tells me that's about 5 to 12. Then a table rises from floor and there is a flash of movement. I think its the boy from 5. He runs out from the trees and snatches up a bag of something. Then he is on the ground, his body still. There is an arrow protruding from his chest. The girl from 4 runs out holding her bow. She runs to the table. And now is my time to act.

I run out from the edge of the forest and run behind the girl from 4. She turns around at the last second, now clutching a knife in her hand. She swings and so do I. She is a second to late and Hunters axe sinks into her chest. I grab some food and shove it straight into my backpack. Two cannons go off. The girl from 4 and boy from 5. I can see Forest and the boy from 2 run out of the trees but they become preoccupied with each other. I guess the Careers have officially split. I grab another few bits of food and another backpack, and then I run back into the trees.

My watch tells me I ran for 30 minutes, but it felt like so much longer. I finally flop down next to a fallen tree. I managed to grab some more packs of dried meat, and a bag of apples and a smaller bag of bread. In the backpack, there Is another small knife- I have 3 now- another coat and some gloves. It is getting dark so I find a tall tree and belt myself and my sleeping bag in. The anthem only shows the girl from 4 and the boy from 5. 20 dead, 3 left to kill.

**I am sorry for how slow this update is. My computer has been broken and It had all my chapters and the list of people who are left on it, so I couldn't update until it got fixed. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Reviews?- Skywitch xo**


	17. Chapter 17

Day 9-

I wake up stiff and tired. I want to go home now. And the only way I can go home is to kill the last 3 people. And then suddenly there's the bang of a cannon throughout the arena. I'm guessing it will be the boy from 10. But who knows. It's could be the boy from 2. Hopefully it's forest. He might be an idiot, but he's from home.

I unbelt myself and pack up my things. Something tells me I wont be in the arena much longer. Maybe another day or two. Hopefully I can the go home. I finally imagine what it might be like to be a victor. Me and mum and dad living in victors village, riches, fame. I could have whatever I wanted. But then there would be victory tours. And mentoring. Charlie must be around 50 now. She might not want to mentor much longer. And then I will have to mentor a tribute every year. Maybe being a victor isn't so good. But I still need to go home. I haven't come this far to give up now. I pull my backpacks onto my back and set off into the remains of the forest.

I've barely walked for 10 minutes when there is a deep growling noise behind me. I turn round quickly. There is a mutt. A bear? Or a wolf? Its on four legs, with thick paws. It's brown, but has the pointed nose of a dog. It's about waist hight, but I can see the muscles and power in it's body. And then it pounces.

I just about have time to swing hunters axe before it reaches me. Its razor sharp claws leave two scratches down my face, narrowly missing my eye. I lift my axe up again and scrape it's back, but it just makes it angrier. It pounces again and this time it misses me. I swing the axe again and this time it slices the top of its front leg. It starts to bleed heavily. It swipes it paw and my ribs are mangled again. I scream and swing my axe. It's front paw is sliced off and it growls. It jumps and I swing. It gets cut down the middle. It drops to the floor and starts twitching. The area around it is covered in blood. I assess the damage it has done to me. Scraped ribs again. Scratches on my face. My leg is damaged again and there is a giant purple bruise there. I wander aimlessly until I find a pond and wash myself off. I wander around for another few hours until I dig into some food. The anthem shows the boy from 10 like id suspected. I will have a tough few days. Only 2 Left to kill. And then I can go home. I can go home.

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry that it's short and the ending is rubbish but my brain isn't functioning. Reviews?:) -Skywitch xo**


	18. Chapter 18

Day 10- I don't know what time it is when I wake up. Usually, the blinding light of the sun should wake me up, but today the sky is dark. Visibility will be poor. I check my watch, and it tells me it is 9:30am. It should be blistering heat and bright sun now. But the gamemakers want these games over. Either way, me, Forest or the Boy from 2 are going home soon. And the other two will be following in small wooden boxes.

I think about my kills in the arena. The girl from 12 on the first night. I cried real tears over her. The boy from 1 on day 2. The girl from 2, who pleaded to die when her hands we're sizzled away by acidic algae on the lake. The sick girl from 11, who held me up by my hair and tried to turn me into an avox. I run my fingers through my short hair, thinking of the fight. The girl from 4 at the feast, lying still with hunters axe in her chest. I have killed 5 people in this arena. I will have to kill at least another to go home.

I climb out of my tree and head towards the cornucopia. I plan to set some traps around the cornucopia. I am in the clearing when there is movement in the cornucopia. Someone emerges. I hold my axe up, expecting a fight from Forest or the boy from 2. But it isn't either of them. Its Hunter.

***Blights Pov***

The gamemakers next trick. Johanna is confronted by someone she knows. The big screen is split into 3, each showing a tribute. Forest in on the left, watching a girl come out of the trees. He is almost crying. The boy from 2 is in the middle, and he is facing a young boy. I recognise the young boy as the one he volunteered for. Johanna is on the right, and she is growing paler as Hunter emerges from the trees. I recognise him, I mentored him. And I felt bad when I went home without him. And he looks just like Johanna.

***Johannas Pov***

''Hunter?'' I ask quietly. Hes dead Johanna, hes dead. But standing in front of me, he looks very much alive. ''Johanna'' he replies. There is obvious relief in his voice. ''Johanna I had a bad dream. Some people came and took me from home and I was in the games and I died!''. He always does this when he has a nightmare. No wait, he did this. Hes dead. Hes dead. ''Youll be fine Hunter''. He nods and looks at His axe. ''Thats mine''. I look at it too and say ''a nice man gave it me to use for a while''. Hunter laughs and screams ''Give it back''. I look at him in horror. He's not real, It's not him, it looks and sounds and acts like him but it isn't him, it isn't, it can't be. ''Fine'' he says Huffily. He runs at me suddenly, a knife in his hand. He swings it at my neck and I scream and duck. I can't kill Hunter, I can't. I have to , I can't. I scream again, full of anger and passion and range and I run at hunter. It's not him, kill the mutt. I swing at Him. My anger has made me blinded and it misses his neck, but I slice at his arm. What are you doing!? It's Hunter! No it isn't! My head is beginning to ache. I need to kill the thing, not Hunter, the mutt. The Capitol. They possessed him. I yell again and swing, this time getting a clean cut in his stomach. He screams- he sounds so much like him- and then he falls to the floor. I killed my own brother. A cannon booms through the arena. Someone couldn't kill their mutt. I need to be up and ready to fight, my watch tells me it's half 12, but I curl up on the ground and sleep just the same.

***2 hours later***

I wake up, tired and stiff and aching. Hunters death is fresh in my mind. I sit up and look at my watch. 2:30. I set some traps and go inside the cornucopia. Then the anthem begins to play. It shows the boy from 2. They wouldn't play the anthem now unless... My thought is cut short as Forest emerges from the trees.


	19. Chapter 19

The Finale-

Forest emerges from the trees, also holding two axes, with a few throwing knives tucked in his belt. He catches my eye. ''Johanna?''He questions. ''I thought you'd be dead by now. Nice hair. Have you just his for 10 days?''. He laughs and throws the giant back pack off his back. I just stare at him. I need to keep up the scared act. That might be my only advantage for now. I pull out my axes And hold them up. And he laughs.

''Ah look at the axes Johanna stole''. He laughs again, as if he's the most hilarious person ever. ''Come on then'' He taunts. ''Bring it!''.

So I do.

I run at him. He looks taken aback by the change in attitide but laughs and throws one of the knives at me. I dodge it and throw the knife I got from the girl from 11. It slices his leg, but it isn't a deep cut. He runs at me and swings and I dodge again, but the axe slices my hip and I go down. He tries to swing it but I kick him hard in his stomach and I manage to get up whilst he is doubled over. I swing but he dodges and tries and misses again. We are both panting heavily. I throw my backpack off so that I can have better movement. I turn round and punch him in the face. He yells and punches the cut on my hip. It stings but I ignore it and throw another knife at him. He dodges and throws one at me. It catches my cheek and leaves a small scratch. Or a big one. I swing my axe at his neck whilst he swings at my leg. We both move at the last second but his axe trips me up. I'm down again but I kick him in the face and get back up. I stab him with a knife in his stomach and he screams an insult but I don't hear it with the blood pumping in my head. The area is covered in blood.

We go back and forth, axe meeting axe as we fight for the upper hand. He throws another knife but I spin and it missed and hits a tree behind me. I quickly yank it out and throw it. It hits the mark of his wound in his stomach and he double over. I push him onto the floor and pin him down.

''Johanna? How did you do that?''

I say nothing and put my arm across his throat. His air supply will slowly get cut off. He Squirms but I stay strong. ''Im going Home Forest. I killed 5 people in this arena. Im sorry''.

He finally starts to panic. ''Please'' He begs. ''No I'm meant to win. I need to go home. Please! PLEASE DONT JOHANNA!''

I jab my elbow into his windpipe, cutting him off. ''Im sorry''I say. And then I feel a sharp pain in my stomach. He is smirking, holding the hilt of the knife which is sunk deep into my stomach. Blood is spreading through my tshirt. I scream a District 7 insult at him and then I bring my axe down. It collides with his head.

''Ladies and Gentlemen, the victor of the 71st Hunger Games... Johanna Mason of District 7!''

'Great' I think weakly. I just hear the boom of a cannon as the world goes black.

**The games are finally over. I hope that was a good final fight. I really appreciate all the reviews and support this is getting. I hope your enjoying it. And it will definitely carry on after the games. Reviews?- Skywitch xo :)**


	20. Chapter 20

The world is groggy. There is a pain in the right side of my head. Yells. The cut in my stomach pains me. I try to sit up. The world goes blank again.

I try to open my eyes, but my eyelids feel as if they weigh a tonne. My limbs are heavy. I welcome the Darkness again.

I am awake again. There are faint movements in my room. I open my eyes. I sit up. And this time I stay awake.

Blight is the first to notice me. He pushes a doctor out of the way and runs over to hug me. It pains my ribs and stomach but I am glad to see him so I hug him as well. He leans back and I take in the odd people in the room. Blight. A doctor. Finnick Odair. Haymitch Abernathy, the drunk from 12. Annie Cresta. Beetee. The strange group of people here to meet me. ''Well done Sunshine''Jokes Finnick. ''Your alive''. Blight sits down next to me and tells me what happened after I passed out. The hovercraft rescued me and they had to perform emergency surgery. Forest almost killed me with the knife, but they managed to remove it and mend my stomach. I have been out for 4 days, and everyone has been preparing for my victory. He tells me District 7 is very excited to see me come home. The Doctor brings me some lunch and I get to ask what's been on my mind. ''Why are all of you here?''. Beetee answers with ''Our mentors always come when we're about to wake up. But they can bring other friends too''. Blight helps me up and finally my prep team come in to discuss what I will wear in the recaps and the interviews. My stylist still hates me.

A few hours later I am dressed for the recaps. I am in a long, silvery dress that catches the light. It shimmers when I move. My hair is brushed and cut properly. They considered putting extensions in, but I threatened to pull then out. No wonder the stylist doesn't like me.

Blight comes in to wish me luck. He tells me carefully that I need to watch out. I fooled snow and the Capitol. And they won't be pleased with me. He tells me slowly ''When snow asks to speak to you, say yes to his offer''. I roll my eyes and tell him I'll think about it. Finally, the escort puff is introduced. Then the prep team and my stylist. Blight. And then Casaer calls out ''The victor of the 71st hunger games...Johanna Mason''!

The metal plate rises and I am blinded by lights and deafened by cheers from every side. Casaer pulls me over to the chair and I sit down and wave at the Capitol. I hate it here, but it's still crazy.

''So Johanna'' says Casaer. ''I don't think any of us expected to see you back here''.

''That was my plan'' I reply.

''You were very smart. How did you come up with that plan?''

''The reaping makes me cry every year. My cousin was whipped to death in the stocks in the square and I see him every year. My little bother was reaped and was killed and that makes me cry too. I used it to my advantage". I don't want the whole nation to know my weakness, but I need their sympathy to get them on my side. I guarantee that President snow isn't pleased with me fooling everyone.

Casaer asks a few more pointless questions and then I am directed off stage. In the final interview tomorrow I will get my crown. And then I can go home to Mum and Dad.

I arrive back onto the 7th floor of the training centre and I see Charlie and Blight sitting there silently, as well and Finnick, Cashmere and Gloss. They are all pale and Charlie has Red eyes like she has been crying. "Whats wrong?". They all look over at me. Charlie, Finnick, Cashmere and Gloss are holding a purple envelope in their hands and Blight has a Red one. He hands it to me.

_'Dear Miss Mason,  
Congratulations on your victory. I would like to see you tomorrow in the training centre at 8:30.  
I expect you to be there.__Yours Sincerely,__President Snow'_

**Oh Drama. President snow has a little Surprise for Johanna. Hope you enjoyed this. Reviews?-Skywitch xo**

**I just noticed that I confused this story with another one of mine and I did the mentors name wrong. So sorry but I've just edited this :)**


	21. Chapter 21

**Sorry guys but last chapter I got this story confused with another story and I accidently wrote the mentors names wrong. I've corrected it now so hopefully by the time your reading this it will be okay. **

***Blights POV***

I have been up and pacing since 5:30. Today is the day that Johanna's life could be over. The mentors signed a contract so they couldn't tell new victors about the life of a victor. My sister and the other Victors are the only ones I talk to about it. I don't have to do it anymore, but the other victors do. Cashmere, gloss, Charlie, Finnick. They will all disappear To various clients when Johanna goes to meet with snow. And I'm scared for her. Because I know she will say no.

***Johannas Pov***

Half past 7. Exactly an hour until I have to meet with Snow. They warned me to say yes. But I want to know what I'm agreeing to. How bad can it be? I just want to go home and see mum and dad and move to victors village and hideaway for the rest of my life. I sit down. Get up. Walk around. I go and take a shower and pull on some clothes. 8 o'clock. I go into the living room and see Blight pacing. Finnick is sitting at the table, in black trousers and a shirt that matches the colour of his eyes. His hair is neater than usual. 8:10. Charlie and Annie join us, sitting quietly. Annie hugs Finnick and he gives her his necklace as she gets comfortable with a book on the sofa. 8:15. There is a knock on the door. A peacekeeper calls us all out and I am escorted to my own sleek black car. 8:20. We travel for a while and then I am outside the presidents mansion. I am escorted in. 8:25. The peacekeepers take me to the presidents room. 8:30.

The doors open and I am pushed inside.

The room is startlingly white. It is almost blinding. Snow is sitting at a desk, drinking a mug of something steaming. ''Ah Johanna'' he says. ''Welcome. Why dont you sit down? I have a great proposition for you''. I sit down and fold my hands in my lap. He smiles and hands me a mug of hot coffee. I pile Cream and sugar into it. Then I sit back and wait for him to talk.

He sips his coffee and says ''Johanna. You victors Are apart of my special... Society. The other victors all help me by lending some of their valuable time to prestigious people in the Capitol. The people. They don't want to talk. They want other things''. I look at him speechless for a while. The pale faces. The purple envelopes. Charlie's red eyes. It adds up. ''You mean they want like...''

''Yes Miss Mason. And many of them would like to spend some private time with you. So would you like to join my elite group? And think very carefully about turning if down''.

I don't know why I wouldn't turn it down so I immediately answer no. He smiles and says ''Very well Miss Mason. You may go''. I escorted back to the training centre.

Blight runs up to me as soon as I walk in and shouts something that I can't understand. He takes a breathe and says ''Did you say yes?''. I look at him in horror and stalk off to my room. My prep team is waiting to get me ready. I am dressed in a skin tight black dress and they brush and sort my hair properly. Puff comes in and takes me to the Interview room. Me and Casear sit down and then the red light comes on and the anthem plays us in. Casaer starts by playing my final fight with forest, still and long and good and bloody as ever. He asks me about my 'Emotions' during the fight and I tell him truthfully that I was scared but determined to get home to mum and dad. He asks about what I miss in 7 and I tell him I miss the smell of pine trees on a morning. It reminds me of home. More pointless questions. I zone out as they play recaps of all my kills. Then the interview is over and I am back to being pushed back into my room, this time to pack for the journey home. I take a fluffy jumper that I slept in and the skin tight black dress from my final interview. My two favourite clothing items. I then pick up the black jacket I wore in the arena. I feel like a want it for some reason.

An avox packs the things into a suitcase and hands it to me. I take it and then puff, Blight and Charlie come to get me so I can finally go home. We are escorted to the train by peacekeepers who keep the crowd back. I am once again astonished by the luxury of the train. I think about the first ride, me crying and Forest bragging. I apologise to Charlie about the death of Forest and she tells me she didn't expect it either, and she doesn't blame me. I know she will always be looking at her nephews killer. I go to my room early and pull on the fluffy jumper. Mine and Hunters axes have materialised from somewhere. I hold them next to me and then I spread the black coat over me. I fall into a deep dreamless sleep.

I can't wait to get home.

**I hope this chapter was ok. I want to try and keep it kind of kid friendly so hopefully this represented the meeting alright. Also, I want to say thanks to Lya200 for all the reviews they write for this story. So thanks guys. Hope you liked it. Reviews?-Skywitch xo**

**Also this chapter is nearly 1000 words. So yeah. Big deal for me :)**


	22. Chapter 22

I am running through the arena, away from hunter who has a knife and is trying to kill me. He is yelling, yelling that he had a bad dream and he wants a hug. I run, breathless, tears streaming down my cheeks. I turn around and he is on the floor, covered in blood seeping from a cut in his stomach.

I sit up with a start. Hunter is dead. Because of me. I killed him. Or did I? Maybe it was the Capitol? I don't know. I think it was the Capitol. But maybe it was me. Who knows. Today I get to go home.

Since i came here, I dreamed about going home. And today it is actually happening. Today I can go back to mum and dad and move into victors village with them. Then I can go to the victory tour and then I can mentor and never have to stress about the games again.

Puff knocks on my door and wakes me up. Its only 7:30. Puff takes me into the dinning room and throws some breakfast at me. It is the last day I'll be able to eat Capitol food, so I savour everything and I drink two big mugs of hot chocolate. I sip a third one as Charlie and Blight emerge and eat some breakfast. Blight tells me we are scheduled to arrive at around 12:30 and there will be a welcoming group for me and I will get to meet the other victor, an elderly man called Ryan. I go to my room to dress for the day. I pull on the black dress and the black coat I wore in the arena. Then I go back into the dining car. It is only 10:00 so I grab another hot chocolate and sit on the sofa. I curl up and end up falling asleep. I am jolted awake when Blight shakes me and tells me its time. Puff pushes me towards the door. I'm shaking with excitement and something else I can't place. I'm nearly home. I've been gone from my home town for a few weeks and now I can see mum and dad again. I can smell the pine on a morning. I can climb the trees and throw mine and hunters axes which are packed in the suitcase with the fluffy jumper. I'll be needing a talent. Does sleep count? Eating Capitol food or Drinking hot chocolate? Climbing trees? Somehow I don't think the Capitol and snow will like that. The train finally stops with a lurch. I can hear yelling outside. The door opens. I take a deep breathe and step out onto the platform.

Im hit with a loud noise which deafens me from every angle. The Noon sunlight blinds me. I laugh and wave and smile at the people of my district. I smell the pine from the forest. I missed the Forest. Some small children come up to me and present me with flowers and the mayor shakes my hand. Photographers click away. A girl in my year at school- Lottie- comes over and hugs me. I shake hands with the elderly victor Ryan. Charlie and Blight hug me and the four of us pose for photos. Charlie's little sister she volunteered for- Rose- hugs me and talks about how nice the Victors Village houses are. We walk through a back passage from the station to the victors village. Mum and dad haven't greeted me Yet. I guess they'll come meet me at Victors Village.

Blight takes me to number four and opens the door. I expect to be greeted with hugs and tears from every angle. But the house is deathly silent. I turn round to Blight and Charlie, who are looking Guilty. ''Where are they?''.

A tear drips out Of Charlies eye. ''They were working at the paper mill. No one really knows what happened. Something sparked. It burnt down before anyone knew what was happening. I'm sorry''.

I am numb. I don't cry. I just sit on the floor and wait for them to leave. And then I'm running. I run past the outskirts of the forest and past the school and to the paper mill. There is nothing left, only piles of ash, undisturbed by the lack of Wind. I carry on running until I reach my old home. I kick the door in and run to mum and dad's old bed. I curl up and cry until I can't cry anymore. A though hits me before I sleep.

I am officially alone in the world.


	23. Chapter 23

I sit up with a start. I dreamt- Nightmared- that the girl from 12 I strangled was chasing me with a rope. Her neck was hanging to the side like it was broken. Then her friend, someone I saw at her reaping day, threw a rope round my neck and pulled and pulled...

I shake my head to get rid of the image. I have been home since yesterday. My parents are dead. I cannot keep dwelling on what happened in the pasT. I need to think about mentoring, the victory tour, the next games. My talent.

After falling asleep in my old house last night, I never got chance to look at my house in victors Village. I walk slowly back, through district sevens town square. People watch me as I go past. Some stare. Some pull their kids behind them to shield them. Some clap me. Others come up so me and hug me and congratulate Me. I am worn down by the time I reach victors village and Blight runs out of his house. He hugs me and says ''Do you want me to help you look round your house?''. I nod quietly and he pushes me to number four. He pulls out a gold key and opens the door.

It leads into a entrance hall bigger than my bedroom at my own home. There is 4 doors and a staircase leading upstairs. The floor is a light wood, the walls White. The doors are deep mahogany, as well as the banisters and stairs. There is a crystal chandelier hanging from the white roof. I push open the first door in front of me. I'm immediatly speechless. There is 2 long, red sofas and they have fluffy white pillows. The floor is a fluffy white carpet. The big window is surrounded by thick red curtains and I can see into the forest. There is a projector above a red brick fireplace with thick logs and a bucket of coal next to it. There is a bookcase full of thick books. I throw myself onto the sofa and roll over to look at Blight. ''I like this room''. He just laughs and goes back out of the room. I regretfully pull myself off the sofa and follow him into another room.

Behind the second door, there is a big kitchen. The walls are white and the floor is checkered black and white. There is a big oven, not that I will ever use it, large surfaces, a big fridge and freezer and a big table. I open the fridge and find it is stacked with both Capitol and District 7 food. The big window shows me into the square of victors village. I spin in a circle a few times before going into the next room.

In the third room there is a big dining room with a big table and six chairs around it. The table is already laid and ready for a meal. The big window shows the square of victors village. The table is mahogany like the doors, and the floor is the same light wood as the entrance hall.

Behind the final door is a study. A dark desk And chair. The walls are a deep red and the floors are a fluffy White again. Blight sit's straight down on the chair and begins reading one of the books from the many bookshelves that line the walls. As I leave, he mutters something about me exploring alone.

I silently climb the stairs. They open up into a big room with 5 doors leading out of it. I slowly push open the first door. The walls are light blue, and the carpet is also a fluffy turquoise. The bed is a large double bed with a blue blanket. There is two giant wardrobes and when I open them I see they are filled with clothes exactly my size. I open another door and there is an en-suite bathroom, which is have a blue bath and a white toilet. I am speechless for a few minuites before going into the second room.

The second room couldn't be more different from the first. The floor is short, light brown carpet. The bed is smaller and near the ground. It has a small table at the end of it which has candles and a bowl of dried flowers on it. There is a wardrobe, but this one is empty. There are lights everywhere, and they give the room a homely feel. There is a fluffy brown rug at the end of the bed. I sink down into the mass of pillows on the bed before getting up to see the third room.

The third room is a big bathroom, with a shower and a bath and a toilet. The whole room is white, and there are white blinds on the big windows.

In the fourth room I am astounded. The room has light grey walls and a thin white carpet. There is a black rug on the floor. In one corner there is a black dressing table. I open one of the two doors and inside find a giant walk in wardrobe. The walls are lines with mirrors so whichever way I look I can see myself. Behind the second door is a black gothic bathroom, with black tiles floors and grey walls. All of the furniture inside is black.

I finally go into the fifth room and see it is a small single room with a small Wardrobe. I go back into the fourth room and curl up on the black bed. Even if it is only around 6 in the evening, I fall asleep before I can find the will power to pull myself up.

**So I hope you like this chapter. I wrote it by hand and then typed it all up, but for some reason it didn't even save, so I had to wait until tonight to retype it. So sorry for the slow update guys :(. Also if you can think of a good talent for Johanna I would appreciate it. Reviews- Skywitch xo**


	24. Chapter 24

I am woke up by the phone ringing through the house. I am curled up in the silk covers of the black bed. I untangle myself and walk barefoot onto the landing. I pick up the phone and it is silent before someone says ''Today the first food package will arrive from the Capitol at noon today. There will be Capitol reporters coming too. Please be there''. He hangs up without another word.

I go back into my room and get dressed into one of the outfits that is suggested. I ruffle my spiky hair and go out info victors village. I knock on blights door and it swings open. ''Johanna!? Whats wrong?''. He hugs me and I push away Quickly. I don't like hugging. ''The first food package comes today. And reporters. They want me there and I don't want to be there by myself''. He nods understandingly and follows me towards the town square. People are crowding by the station. Hungry, thin kids run around excitedly. Parents joy is obvious On their faces. They all go crazy as I mount the hastily set up stage.

I wave until my arm aches and people scream. They are excited to see me, but mostly excited because they know I am about to give them some food. The train rolls silently into the station and the door opens. I look over at Blight and he motions for me to get on. It is a simple cargo train, and inside it is filled from floor to roof, wall to wall, with crates and baskets and barrels of food. There is an avox in the corner who motions for me to take something. I take a crate and find it is full of packs of biscuits. These will be biscuits that last for ages and will keep a family fed for months. I pick it up and go back onto the platform with it.

The crowd immediatly goes wild again. I smile and then go to the nearest small child. A girl, about 10, smiling and laughing as I approach her. She stops dead when I get near her, but she smiles again when I hand her three packs of the biscuits. She hugs them to her ragged top and runs back into the crowd. I give some to another boy, about 16, who smiles and thanks me graciously. He holds onto the hand of a girl who is about five and they wander off together. I wish I had a sibling. I wish hunter was still Here.

The next few hours is a rush of people of every age hugging me, thanking me as I hand out food. Simple things like bread and biscuits. Delicacies like sugar and Jam. Oil and grain in big barrels are delivered to peoples shacks. There is a feast going on in the town square, and people are dancing and smiling. This is the first festive thing that's happened in a long time.

I am silent for a long time as people finally begin to disappear around midnight. Someone taps my shoulder and I turn round quickly. Blight and Charlie are there, holding a small cake with one candle on top. ''We knew you'd forget'' Says Blight. ''Happy 17th Birthday''. My eyes fill with tears. No one in my family has celebrated birthdays since hunter died. He always knew what day it was and how long till our birthday. The reaping is the second Sunday in July, and he based it around that. His birthday was 9 days after the reaping. Mine was 2 months. The town clock shows it has just gone the 1st of September.

I am 17.

I blow out the candle on the cake and Charlie presents me with small parcel wrapped in newspaper and tied in string. Inside is a pair of new thick boats, perfect for walking in the forest and climbing trees. We sit on the edge of the station together. Ryan, the elderly victor, joins us. The four of us sit together, eating birthday cake with our hands and laughing.

The games took my family. But now I have a new one.

**Im so sorry for the extremely slow update. I've been so busy lately. Hope you enjoyed this chapter guys. Reviews?- Skywitch xo**


	25. Chapter 25

In my dreams there is the girl from District 12. She is running through the woods, curly blonde hair flying out behind heR. She is holding the axe that I took from her. I run after her. We dodge around trees and rocks until we come to a cliff. She turns to face me. "YOU KILLED ME" she drops the axe as her head snaps to the side. Her neck is broken. Her body arches over and she falls back over the cliff. Then I am her. I fall down and down. My body, or hers kits the bottom and I am jolted awake gasping.

I sit up and put my head in my hands. My first kill. My first of many. For the last few days I have been visited by all of them. The girl from 12. I have seen her neck snap countless times. The girl from 2, who's hands were melted away by the acidic lake and she begged for me to kill her. I have seen things from her eyes in my dreams. The sick girl from 11. She made me cut my hair to get away after she tried to turn me into an avox. I dream about it being the other way round, where she is massacred by me and there's nothing I can do to stop it. Then Forest. I see the final fight played out again and again, but our roles are reversed. I see his face bringing down an axe before I jolt awake.

I don't know have victors carry on. And now I have to go away today for the victory tour.

I finally get out of bed and pad downstairs in some silk slippers. In a few hours, my escort, camera team, stylist and prep team will be here to ready me for the beginning of the victory tour. Me and Hunter always had a tradition on the beginning of the victory tour, no matter who the victor was. We'd go to the bakery and buy a cupcake each. Then we'd climb up to our tree house and eat the cupcakes whilst talking about last year's games. Hunter told me, when he was 12, nearly 6 months before he was reaped, that he thought that one day, me or him would win the games. I told him to stop being silly. He laughed and said he could just picture it. Then we finished our cupcakes and went back to throwing axes at the opposite trees. But I always remembered what he said. I knew it was crazy, but when he was reaped I hoped that maybe, he was right, and he would come home. Buy he didn't.

When he died, out cousin Ethan went a little crazy. He was 18, but had been knocked out the day before the reaping by a falling branch and he was still unconscious in the hospital. He woke up two days before the games. We told him and he went a little crazy. He could have volunteered, and probably won too. But he couldn't. He slowly became more and more of a rebel. He got yelled at by peacekeepers time and time again. Once I had to talk them out of shooting him. It worked until one day, he went even crazier. He tried to blow up the justice building.

We were all kept in our houses for 2 days. I went to the square when they finally said we could continue work. And hanging off the stocks was his bloody mangled body. I ran up to him and undid the straps. He was strong but small, and I was strong so I carried him home. His mom, my aunty, disappeared soon after. No one knows what happened to her. But me and mum always used to say if they have no proof, then she's not dead. She's a fighter. And if she's alive, my only living relative.

I finally stop daydreaming and go upstairs to get ready to go to the bakery. I pull on some black trousers, a white long sleeved top and a waistcoat over the top. I go into the dining room to get my new boots that Blight and Charlie bought me for my birthday. I finally go outside and see that the world is covered in a thick blanket of frost and ice. I slide my way towards town. The bakery is open, and the baker greets me as I buy two iced cupcakes. I begin to head towards my tree house but something catches my eye. A small boy, who looks like Hunter is curled up on the aide walk. His lips are blue and he is shivering. He has pale skin and is paper thin, like he might snap any second. He tries to get up but falls back down again. He tries three times before he accepts the ininevitable and curls up in a ball. I do the only logical thing to me. I run to him.

He looks at me with big green eyes as I approach. I crouch down next to him. "Hey" I say in a soft voice. "Are you okay?". He shakes his head. "I... I was trying to steal some food for my new baby sister. But but the shops were opening and they caught me and I fell and I can't get up. I'm too weak". I look around at the shops in the square. Some of them are watching me carefully. I turn back to him. "Okay lie here for a few minutes. I'll be back in a second". I run around, buying milk and baby clothes and rolls and some little rainbow sweets. I go back to the boy. I give him my purchases. I think about the cupcakes in my pocket and hand him one. "What's your name?". He looks up at me with big eyes. "Leo. My little sister is called Katie. Thank you". He gives me a small hug and runs to the poorest section of town. I finally go to my tree house. I eat the cupcake and I finally get home with a few minutes to spare.

I have just got home when someone knocks on the door. I open it and Puff runs at me and throws her arms around me. "Johanna! How are you doing? I've missed you! The capitol loves you dear". I force a laugh and hug her back. I don't get chance to answer before my stylist and prep team come in. They are followed by Blight and Charlie, as well as the elderly victor Ryan. I haven't seen any of them for weeks.

My stylist drags me upstairs and throws some clothes at me. He still hates me for ripping his dress in the interviews. The prep team push me down onto a chair and do my hair and a little makeup. I don't pay attention to snatches given me to wear. This journey is just going to be a big blur of clothes food and ceremonies. And fallen tributes.

Puff finally calls me down and I wait by the door for the signal that Casaer is ready. Finally something in Puffs pocket beeps and she opens the door and pushes me out.

There is a camera waiting outside and Puff pushes me towards it. I can hear the crowd in the Capitol cheering. Cadaver calls put "Hello Johanna. We all look forward to seeing you on your victory tour". I wave towards the camera and reply "Thank you Casaer. I look forward to seeing you too". He laughs and says "See you in a few weeks Johanna". I wave again and then the square is dark and I can let out a breathe I didn't realise I was holding. Puff pushes me towards the house and tells me to get whatever I want to take. I only grab my black combat boots that Charlie and Blight gave me for ny birthday. I try to grab mine and Hunters axes but puff screams at me that I can't take them, I'll give the train attendants a heart attack, all that boring stuff. She makes me put them back in my house. They finally- FINALLY- take me to the station. I pose for a million pictures before I am pushed onto the train. Past Forests room and into my room. I throw my boots onto the floor and flop onto the bed. I am asleep in minutes.

**Sorry for the slow update. I've been kinda dead for a bit and I still am but I've been sitting in bed writing this on my tablet. I hope you all had a good Christmas if you celebrate it and if not I hope you had a good day anyways. Hopefully I will be able to update loads more -my new year's resolution- but I'm taking loads of exam this year :( Hope you had a good Christmas, and you have a good new year!- Skywitch xo**


	26. Chapter 26

I slowly open my eyes to the blinding light in my train compartment. I forgot to close the curtains before I fell asleep last night and now they are blinding me with full force. I rub my eyes and get up. Today is the first day of the victory tour, District 12. The girl who I killed on the first night. I need to learn their names. I told blight I wanted to know the names of all the tributes and I will.

I go into the dining cart and find Puff and Blight sitting down and eating. I grab some pancakes off the trolley and cover them in a thick layer of syrup. I pour some hot chocolate and pile in milk and sugar and then I sit down and curl my feet up onto the chair. Puff gives me a disapproving look when I begin to eat my pancakes with my fingers.

"Well" she begins. "Today, of course, we are in district 12. Usually nothing spectacular, a speech outside the justice building, a meal and a few hours of music which they say Is a 'ball'. Then we say goodbyes at 12 o'clock and then we board the train at 1. And of course the tributes for this tribute are male, James and Female, Alice.

Alice. My first kill. She was maybe 13? 14? Im 17 now. She was defenceless. Even though she had an axe. The careers would have killed her in a worse way. But all I can think about as my prep team pull me away to get ready is that the last minute of her life was just pure panic and no breathe.

At 12 o'clock Puff calls me and tells me that we are nearly in 12. I am given a thick coat because apparently it is snowing in 12. When we finally pull up at the station there is a thick layer of snow covering everything. We are greeted by a slightly drunk victor Haymitch who is the only living victor for 12. Their justice building is small an most things are covered in a thick layer of dust. I am introduced to the mayor, Mayor Undersee and he introduces me to his wife Macey and his daughter Madge. His daughter waves shyly at me. She is pretty in a white dress and a gold ribbon in her hair, making her look older even though she is only about 13.

At 1 o'clock the mayor tells me it is time for the ceremony to begin. He goes out Ontario quiet applause and introduces me. He makes his speech about how the tributes of 12 James and Alice both fought bravely. He talks about how they were buried in a tributes graveyard not far from the mine entrance and any is welcome to visit them. Finally he calls my name and I step out onto the stage.

I am immediately shocked by the people. I thought that the boy Leo was thin but he is nothing compared to the people of this district. Children of all ages are just in front of the stage, ribbons tied in their lanky hair. They are all hunched over slightly and some are clutching their stomachs. They are paper thin and pale. A little girl of about 9 with white blonde hair and pale skin has the lines in her cheeks showing she's so thin. A little girl with a scowl and plaited Brown hair stands behind her. I am forced to stop when the mayor hands the Mic over to me.

Blight drilled the lines into me and I speak them into the Mic with no conviction. He also quietly suggested that I should say something personal about the tributes. I begin by talking about James. In front of his big picture is his parents. No one else. Their only child is now dead and in the tribute graveyard. Then I talk about Alice. I begin with "I'm sorry" and then I talk for five minutes about how sorry I am. Her family- her parents, a small girl and an older boy- are all crying by the end of it.

I'm finally given a bouquet of flowers and a plaque which is greeted by applause. The mayor finally let's me go off stage. Puff takes my flowers and plaque so my arms are finally free. Blight and Charlie drag me into another room where they tell me I can rest for a few hours until the dinner. We mostly sit around and talk about past games, the good old times, like best friends. These people, Blight, Charlie, are my new family. They will never replace the one I had. But they're just as good.

My stylist comes along a few hours later and throws a dress at me. He sends me into a small bathroom that smells of damp to get changed. The dress is black on top, with a flowing skirt, fading from red to orange to yellow like fire on the bottom. I might hate my stylist, but he is clever. This dress represents this district perfectly.

We finally go out for the dinner- watery soup to start with, then some strange sort of meat and vegetables, and then a light fluffy cake for after. I dance with varying people- the mayor, the head of the mines, the only living victor, a man names Haymitch Abernathy. He smells like alcohol and staggers off a few minuites later. At ten to midnight, Puff calls us all together and we finally get escorted to the station. I stumble to my room, tired from the emotional day, and flop onto my bed. I pull myself up to get changed and then I am back in bed and asleep in minuites.


	27. Chapter 27

***Blights POV***

Day 2 of the Victory tour. My victor Johanna. I knew it. I told Charlie, but she wouldn't see past Forest and his arrogance. And now here we are, on my girl Johannas Victory tour.

The breakfast carriage door opens and Johanna stumbles in. There are thick bags under her eyes already and her hair is like a birds nest. She yawns and throws herself into a chair. I reach over to grab some coffee and toast whilst she piles her plate with toast, eggs, beans, pancakes, mushrooms, sausages and bacon and then begins to eat it with her fingers. Puff snorts in disgust and eats some toast with her pinkie out. I laugh silently. Puff was my mentor, and Charlie, so we both know what she's like.

We're in District 11 today. The boy, Hamish, was 12 and was killed by Forest in the bloodbath. The girl, the one who tried to turn Johanna into an avox, was called Maddie. Her mentors said she was a bully at the school in 11 and when she left, no-one would give her a job. The games were her final chance. Of course I don't tell Johanna this. I just tell her their names, and she nods quietly.

***Johannas POV***

Everyone is very quiet this morning. I am already too tired, and fed up with the victory tour. Eleven today. The girl who I frequently have nightmares about. And a boy that Forest killed without a second thought. An hour into the games and he was already bled out and cold. I shiver.

My idiot stylist drags me back to my room and throws some clothes at me. He hates me. With a passion. He still remembers how I 'tripped' at the interviews. I pull the clothes on silently. My prep team brushes my hair till it crackles up straighter than usual and apply little bits of make up to my eyes. They flounce out of my room as Blight enters to tell me we have arrived in 11.

We are met off the train by 8 armed peacekeepers. They all hold huge guns and have bulletproof masks and vests. The fences of District 11 are 10 meters high and covered at the top and bottom with barbed wife. As far as I can see, there are fields of green and white and yellow. The peacekeepers bundle us into small car and we are driven to the Justice building, which takes roughly 10 minutes. The moment we arrive the mayor starts his speech and I am pushed out onto stage.

The sun immediately blinds me. The white light reflects off some mirrors ans cameras in the town square. The people have dark skin, Brown eyes, short hair. They are all squinting as they look at me. I focus on the families of the fallen tributes. For the boy, Hamish, there is a big family. Two elderly people, his grandparents probably, his mum and dad, and then five or six brothers and sisters. Most of them have their little faces scrunched up, small tears trickling down their cheeks.

On Maddies side is no-one. I notice the mayor eyeing it uneasily. I clear my throat quietly and begin my speech about thanking the Capitol, the games brining us together. Pretty much the same speech, they hear every year, just changed to fit their tributes. I finish by congratulating them for their 'Noble' tributes and two small children, a boy and a girls, bring me a bouquet of flowers and a plaque. The mayor lets me go off stage and then I am thrown straight into a dress for the evening meal.

Even though District 11 specialises in fruit and vegetable farming, the meal consists mainly of meat. I laugh as I wonder if District 10 will have vegetables instead of meat, or 4 have bread and 9 have seafood. After eating, the mayor drags me up to dance.

"So Johanna" he asks. "How are you enjoying the victory tour"? I eye him suspiciously. "It's lovely thank you". He nods thoughtfully, as if considering his next words. "I do apologize for our female tribute. She was a little... head strong. You see, her only family was her brother and her mother. A few months ago, her brother was shot in the head for trying to take a pair of night vision goggles. He only wanted to play with them. We all knew that. He wasn't right. Neither was Maddie after that. Then her mother just gave up. She died of starvation three weeks after. So Maddie wanted to volunteer.I tried to convince her not to. But she did. And my own daughter was reaped. I will never be able to repay her now. My daughter is here and she is not". I look into his deep Brown eyes. "I'm sorry". "It's not your fault dear. Now enjoy the rest of your Victory tour. All those other tributes would want to be here. And they're not but you are. Savour it. Have fun Johanna". He bows to me and disappears into the crowd.

Blight comes to me next, giving me a hug and dancing me round. He must know what happened because he gently asks me"What happened?" So I tell him about everything. He smiles. "He's right Johanna. All of those tributes would love to be here in your place. Your lucky. Appreciate it". He turns away to grab someone else to dance with.

By the end of the night I am dragging my feet. If I'm this tired and fed up in District 11, what will I be like in the Capitol? Puff finds Blight singing a drinking song with a random citizen of eleven. Charlie is dancing with the mayor. She drags them both away and pushes me forward to say goodbye. I wave to everyone and drag myself to the train.

Despite being so tired, I toss and turn for a few hours before I go to the dining cart and the avox brings me a cup of hot chocolate. They are playing the rerun of my games again. I watch the final fight, as long and bloody as ever. And then I mange to find sleep, curled up on the silk sofa witmy my drink in my hands.


	28. Chapter 28

I wake up earlier than usual. The sun is just beginning to rise. The same sun I saw in District 7, the same sun in the arena. I watch as day breaks and red and yellow streaks push across the blue sky. District 10 has hot,sunny weather. I used to watch the sunrise with Hunter. Blight told me he watched the sunrise and sundown every night in the Capitol in his last few days. And I watched them at home in 7.

Blight enters the train car as day officially comes through and everything is baked in soft light. He grunts- I don't think he's a morning person- and sits down next to me with a huge mug of coffee.

"So today we're in District 10" he begins. "The tributes here were Kaya, who died in the bloodbath, and the boy called Thomas, who died on day 9. He was the district 10 mentors cousin".

We pull up in the District 10 station three hours earlier than were supposed to. Puff goes into a frenzy moving the schedule forward. Charlie snaps at her ans whilst they are arguing I sneak off the train.

The first thing I notice about District 10 is that it's very green. Green rolling hills, green trees, green everything. There are animals in every field- cows, bulls, sheep, everything. The square is about a mile away, and there are people riding on horses around the square. The people in the field are also riding horses d they wear cowboy hats. They stop occasionally to wipe their foreheads or have a drink from their backpacks. Even from here, I can't see any peacekeepers. There are two with their feet up on benches at the end of the station, but I can't see any more. No one to stop me wandering around.

I leave the station quietly and begin to walk through a field of horses towards the town square. A few children run out of a barn at the end of the field and begin cartwheeling around and chasing each other. They're all young and innocent, laughing and happy. The youngest about 4, the oldest maybe 13. They don't yet have the weight of the world resting on their shoulders.

I climb over a fence and into the next field. It's empty apart from one random chicken trying to hop over the fence. I pick it up and push it over and then climb over myself. I begin to follow a dirt track down into the town. I pass little shacks and small brick cottages before I reach the square. It reminds me of the square in 7. The shop front are all bright and open, everyone calling to each other and talking, but the main difference is the wagons open on one side. They sell everything from bottle openers to shoelaces to mousetraps. Several people are talking to the owners, waving about baskets and money like they're trying to get the best price. There are several tanned children giving each other piggie-back races on the other side of the square, laughing every time they fall over. District 10 spend most of their time outside and they seem to enjoy every minute of it. And then I realize that everyone is this, dangerously thin, just like in 11 and 12. Several peacekeepers are buying meat from the butchers, but almost everyone else is eating bread from the dry Tesserae grain we get given every month in exchange for putting out names in more times.

A distinctive hush begins to settle over the crowd as more and more people notice me looking. It is almost silent apart from the light breeze rustling banners hung up when a little blonde haired girl says "Johanna?" I turn towards her. She smiles wildly. "I thought it was you". An older women comes up to talk to me as the crowd go back to their normal jobs. She gives me some dry Tesserae bread that tastes the same as the stuff we get in seven, and then she offers to drive me back in her wagon. She closes her store selling hair brushes, picks up a small boy of about 2, and climbs into her wagon. She plonks the boy onto the horse pulling the wagon and pulls me up after her. We ride in silence as I take in the sites of district ten. I have been hone two hours when I get back on the train.

Blight immediately rushes to me and demands "Where have you been? Charlie thought you'd been kidnapped and no one knew where you were and..." He throws him arm round me and pushes me back into the main car, where I get a ten minutes lecture from puff, with occasional comments from Charlie. At long last my stylist comes in and throws some clothes at me. Ah what a great relationship we have. I laugh as I pull on a loose yellow dress and some cowboy boots. They run some gel through my hair which makes it glisten in the sunlight. Finally, we get in a wagon to drive down to the square. The peacekeeper driving insists i ride on the horse and this launches Puff into another lecture about how un-ladylike that would be. She's it 30 seconds I'm when the wagon starts because I'm already sitting side saddle on a big white horse. I smile the whole way there. Riding a horse is one of the best things ever. I wonder if you can get them in seven?

We arrive at the justice building and Blight helps me down. We go inside for less than two minutes before the mayor calls me out again. My eyes had just adjusted to the darkness in the justice building so I am blinded once I set foot outside. I blink rapidly a few times and begin my speech. This one is the nicest speech I've said so far, better tailored to the innocence of District 10. I don't look at the families until the end. On Thomas' side, there is his parents and two young children. One of them is a girl I saw playing In the fields earlier. She is no longer laughing. Small tears are making there way down her face. On Kaya's side, I'm clueless for a minute when I realise that it's the woman who helped me earlier. My speech falters for the first time. I stop speaking in the middle of a sentence. "I just wanted to quickly say thank you. The woman who helped me earlier just happens to be the mother of one of this year's tributes. Both of them were brave until the end. I've noticed that District 10 is happier and more carefree than any other one. When they came to the Capitol with me for the games, I was scared of the determination of these tributes. So thank you for them". I finish awkwardly and then continue my prewritten speech. I don't take my eyes off the woman. She is crying, but smiling, holding the hand of her little boy. When I finish I am presented with another useless plaque and some more flowers. I'm going to have a whole train car full of them at the end.

I don't get changed for the night meal because I spend the next few hours exploring he justice building. Their justice building is smaller than ours. There are several storage rooms filled with wood and axes. Most of the rooms empty and unfurnished. Some are filled with fancy furniture and I even find several bedrooms. I go back to my room to find Puff and Charlie arguing again. They continue to fight in hushed whispers we make our way to the 'ballroom' which is a small room with a small chandelier and several tables set up with plates of meat. I eat something they call a 'hamburger' and then I am invited to dance my a man with an eyepatch over one eye.

We weave our way round people on the dance floor. I vaguely recognize his face. Then I remember he's the District 10 mentor. I look him in the eye and he nods softly. "Thomas was my cousin. I won the games 14 years ago when I was 15". He looks at the floor in disgust. "I was born blind in one eye. I trained myself, learnt to fight without the vision on one side. Thomas was born ill, stayed ill ever since. It's a miracle he survived till day nine". He sighs in defeat. "Thank you for killing Forest. I backed out from the start. I thought you were hiding something and I was right. He killed Thomas, so thank you for getting him". He kisses me lightly on the forehead and disappears into the crowd on the dance floor.

It is well past midnight when finally puff rounds us all up. There is a moment of panic when we can't find blight but then we find him crashed on one of the sofas in An almost empty room. We finally drag ourselves on the train and say goodbye to district 10.


	29. Chapter 29

Before** I start this chapter I just want to say thanks for all the reviews, I really appreciate it, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

The next few districts fly by like they don't even exist. District 9's tributes were Hannah and Mitch. They were both 12, and they're district is mixture of tears and silence as their tributes died on the bloodbath. The most exciting part is when Mitch's dad punches a peacekeeper. I hear gun shots a few minuites later.

District 8 is also just as far under the radar. The tributes were Alice and Jamie, and they were twins, at just thirteen years old. Even if they were older they wouldn't have stood a chance. There isn't a patch of grass in sight, which puts them at a immediate disadvantage.

All us victors sit together as we skip past District 7. We watch as the lights get closer and then further away overnight. We stay up till well past midnight, sitting there watching reruns of old games. We finally turn it off when the 52nd games comes on, Blights games. We sit in silence staring at District 7 before curiousity catches up to me.

"How did you win your games Blight?".

He looks at me sadly. He begins to talk with a distant look in his eyes.

"On day four, I killed a girl. She was maybe 13, 14 at the most. I only had a little pocket knife. I was 18, I was strong. In my arena, the lights flashed on and off so you couldn't tell if it was night or day, and when it was dark, it was black, pitch black. She jumped me, and the lights went off. She had an axe, but I was so angry and frustrated I just stabbed. The lights came back on as the cannon went off".

"She was mangled Johanna. She was pretty, the prettiest in her games. And then, she just wasn't, and covered in blood. I took her axe and pack. I don't know what happened. Maybe I went unconscious or I just passed out from shock. Either way, I woke up on day 9 with two people left. There was a battle at the cornucopia. The girl from two killed the boy from one, and the lights went out. I swung my axe... It connected. The cannon went off and the lights came on and her head was rolling about on the floor by my feet. And I came home".

He sighs. "I only killed two people. But it feels like I killed 23 of them, ya know". His voice is filled completely with pain so I lean across and give him a hug. We sit in silence again when Charlie says "I guess it's my turn".

She stares at the floor. "My little sister Abi was reaped. She was 13, and I was 17. I could win. So I volunteered, took her place. And the Capitol loved me. Me and abi, we don't have the same last name, they didn't know she was my sister. So I played the ruthless killer card. It worked. The 59th games it was. I matured fast after it. And... I'm not proud of it but I got in with the careers. I'd take walks with them, talk to them and then stab them in the back-Literally. The girl from one of all people figured it out, told the only other remaining, the boy from four, and they tried to get me. Ended up accidently killing each other the idiots. And by then there was only this little kid from 8, and then I was home to Abi. They found out she was my sister of course, and snow hated that id got one up on him. Tried to get me in his little deal. I said no, and mum was dead before I got home. Dad lived, but cut of all contact with me. So yeah".

I let them think for a few minutes before announcing that I'm going to bed. They nod silently and both get up too. It's been a long night, and we're not even half way through the victory tour.

Puff wakes me up early the next morning for another 'big big day'. I laugh as I imagine a big group of people dressed like Puff all practising saying 'big big day' in their chirpiest voices. Maybe that's how they decide the escorts. Who can be the most annoying? I think that's it.

I don't eat much for breakfast and I don't look at the little i do eat. I just shovel it down in the hopes it will give me some energy. By the time I've got through one cup of coffee and two lots of hot chocolate I'm pretty much hearing colours and I can feel blood pumping in my head. Too much sugar is a bad idea I think to my self. My stylist finally turns up and I dizzily make my way into my room. They barely bother with makeup and my hair now because they know I wash off the makeup and run my hands through my hair. They throw some clothes at- who cares what they look like- and I get dressed quickly. This tour needs to be over soon.

We finally pull up in District 6. The first word that springs to mind is dark. The station is shaded in factories advertising car parts, make your own electronic trains and an advert for a baby sitter. We are walked- yes walked, isn't this the transport district?!- into the justice building to begin the speech. They mic me up and I am roughly pushed out onto stage.

The square is just as dark and grey as the rest of the District. The mayors speech is short, as is mine. The tributes here were Alicia and Jake. Alicia was 14 but part of the poorest family In the District, and Jake was 12, and the mayors oldest son. They both died in the bloodbath. I thought the mayor would show some emotion as it was his son, but he talks as emotionless and passive as all the other mayors. He doesn't even look towards the rest of his family- a wife, two sons and a daughter- standing on jakes podium. Finally, two young girls present me with a plaque and some flowers. Then the day begins to change from how it usually is. The mayor leads me inside and through the justice building. He is holding onto my arm so tight so that I can't resist. We go through mazes of corridors and finally we climb a ladder. I expect the room to be empty but it's not. It's full of people of all ages -the youngest maybe 14 and the oldest perhaps 60. They all look up hopefully as the mayor enters, and some of them cheer when they see me.

"Johanna" begins the mayor. "Here in six, we have been recruiting people for years to take part in the rebellion when it finally happens. And now we feel ready to begin recruiting victors". He pauses to let me take in the words. "You see, my son rigged the reaping, he was clever that way, so that he could get vital information from the Capitol. We can't tell you what it was, but we got it. And now we're nearly ready to use it. We just want you to help us. At 5:30, during the dinner this afternoon, we will storm the peacekeeper headquarters on 53rd street. We will have guns, and, because it's their day off, hopefully more people than they do". He finishes with a look of triumph mixed with a hint of sadness. "We need you to get out by 5:30. We need all the victors we can get. And if it ends I'm gunfire, we don't want you in the middle".

A man hands him a sealed envelope and he gives it to me. "Open this when the time is right. You'll know when. Now let's get down to the party". And he once again begins to drag me.

My thoughts almost consume me as we walk away. The rebellion. Recruiting. His son rigging the reaping, dieing for this cause. 5:30. This time is repeated in my head over and over again.

We finally join the party just after three o'clock. I force a smile and dance with the mayor, acting like I've never spoke to him before, asking about his family and the District. He dissapears at 4o'clock, winking at me as he tells me he has lots of work to do. In the attic of the justice building, people will be gearing up with guns and knives, ready to fight back.

At 5o'clock, I call blight and tell him I'm not feeling well. He looks at me and understands I want to go. He goes to convince puff whilst I find Charlie and pull her back with me. It's quarter past when we finally leave. Did I leave it too late? Or are we going to make it?

We round a corner when I see the station. I am filled with glory and then disaster, as I begin to hear gunshots. I look around frantically and see a sign. I run to it. It big black letters it says

'_53rd street_'

My fight or flight instincts kick in and I shout to the others to run. And then gunshots explode from every angle. I run for the station, pushing everyone in front of me. I'm nearly at the train, running level to blight, when there is a heart stopping pain in my side. I just manage to put my hand to it and see blood before I crash over and the world goes black.


	30. Chapter 30

**So if any of you want to go look, or if you care, then i've rewritten chapter 3 cause basically it was the worst thing i've ever written and I don't know why i havent done it before. Anyways I hope you enjoy this chapter guys :)**

_The world is dark. Every time I feel myself returning to the world of consciousness, Pain hits me again and I retreat back into the empty world that is unconsciousness. My world is an endless cycle of pain and darkness, slowly revolving. The pain recedes in sleep, into darkness and into the colour of leaves in the autumn. I open my eyes once, catch the scared face of Blight before I am back there again. I don't try it again, hoping that with closed eyes I can avoid the world that caused it. I hear though. Charlie, Blight, Crying, screaming. I hear Hunter, Mum and Dad, the screams of Dying tributes, Forests last maniacal laugh. I am unsure of how long I have been out when I drift back into the world. I try to open my eyes but they feel heavy. I am bored. I will myself to wake up, to sleep less, to wake up and finish the tour so I can get home. And, finally, something in my mind snaps and I jerk awake. _

***Blights POV*  
**After Johanna got shot, I picked her up and between us, me and Charlie carried her back to the train. The peacekeepers stopped shooting to allow us onto the train, but the rebels in six keep going and they carry on till we can hear them no more. Effie summons Capitol doctors and we stop at a small Dingy station between Districts 5 and 6. They are there with half an hour. By this time Me and Charlie have lain Johanna down on her bed and sat stroking her hand. They come in and bandage her up, announce the injury is probably not life-threatening and they are going to knock her out for a few hours whilst they stitch it up and check all her Vitals. They throw me and Charlie out and we pace around in the corridor. We are on the way to District 5 now, the promise of a place to stay and their best medical treatment they have to offer. After four straight hours and non-stop pacing off me, the Capitol doctors come out her room and tell me that she should wake up within a few hours. Her eyes occasionally flicker and she says names in her sleep. Mine, Charlies, Hunters, Forests, Names of all the tributes so far. She stirs occasionally, and me and Charlie sit with her until, Finally, after 4 hours of waiting, she starts awake breathlessly.

***Johannas POV***

Blight looks at me with a mixture of Happiness, fury and fright. Charlie smiles widely. I look around my room. We're moving again, on the way to District 5. Looks like Puff couldn't wait to carry on. I stretch like a cat, and ask hoarsely "What happened?". Blight and Charlie exchange a look. "You got shot" replies Blight. "Yes well done. I could have guessed that for myself" I reply sarcastically. They both laugh lightly and Charlie tells me that I did indeed get shot by the rebels on 53rd street. Peacekeepers escorted us to the station whilst all hell broke loose in District 6. They've had no news on what happened, but both of them presume that the rebels were shot down, and once they discovered the mayor was involved, he would be lost too. Apparently I've been out for just over 8 hours. We'll arrive in five in an hour, and we'll stop in a house in Victors Village for the rest of the morning, until their section of the Victory tour begins. They have been pooling together to help me have a small and pleasant stay when we get there. We do arrive in just under an hour and we walk in the darkness of night to the Victors village. We are greeted by two Victors, Gideon and Emily, and they show us a house. I barely notice what im doing as I stumble upstairs and flop onto one of the beds and fall into a dreamless sleep.

I wake up the next morning with blankets wrapped around me. I go downstairs and find Blight hugging a cup of coffee whilst Charlie sits with her head on the table and Puff does her makeup. They all look up and smile when they see its me. Puff screams for a capitol doctor who tells me to lie on the sofa. He unbandages my wound which is still swollen and red and then bandages it up once again. He hands me a bottle of pills and tells me im free to go and to be careful for the next few days. We all eat in a comfortable silence and then the mayor of five comes with peacekeepers to escort us to the justice building. As we walk, I notice that most of five is factories and most people live in poorly made houses. I know that five is the fifth richest District, but there must be a definite line between here and the other districts like 3 and 4. It reminds me of twelve more than it does of my image of four.

We finally get to the ceremony and it luckily goes down without a hitch. The girl from 5, Ella, was 13 and small and weak as a ten year old. A young boy and her parents stage there angrily. Another broken Family. The boy from 5, Jamie, got shot down on day 8 by the girl from four. He had a chance, a good shot, because he was strong and smart. One small moment of indecision caused his death. His family consists of an elderly lady and an angry looking girl who reminds me of the girl from 11 Maddie.

The party is once again the same, no talk of rebels or shooting or battles on 53rd street. I am actually sad when Puff tells me its time to go, as i spent most of my night playing cards with Ella's little brother. He is a whiz at them, far better than me even though he's only 9. I hug him and his parents goodbye. I thought I was fully recovered but I am panting and Clutching my stomach when we reach the train. I barely have the energy to get changed before the gentle rocking of the train pulls me back into the dark abyss of sleep.


	31. Chapter 31

And so today we visit our first career district. The boy, Ashton, died on day 2, betrayed by the careers. The girl, Michelle, was killed by me on day 8 at the feast. We both swung, and her small second of hesitation meant her death. Blight knocks on my door and I throw it open. I've been up for hours and I laugh as he stumbles over, obviously having be leaning on the door. He yawns and rubs his eyes and tells me quietly that well be arriving in four in an hour and my stylist has left my outfit in the closet. He wearily drags himself out of my room so I press a button on the wall to order some food to my room. I walk around eating chicken legs and French toast as I brush my hair into it's usual spikes. I wash off my hands and take a quick shower. I am not focusing at all so I accidently press the wrong buttons and end up in a mass of yellow bubbles and alternate hot and cold water spraying from the shower head. I am definetly bought into reality and I manage to set the water right so that I can take a proper shower. I press the button to dry myself off and run my hands through my hair again. Then I go to get the dress out of the closet and find it is a silk dress that fades from dark blue to light blue to turquoise and a pair of silver strappy sandals. I pull them on and then go into the dining room with the dress brushing round my ankles.

Puff squeals in delight at me dress and even Charlie and blight says it looks nice. The train is just slowing to stop at district 4 so Puff pushes us all towards the door. When the train stops, we are greeted by the ever-handsome Finnick Odair and Annie Cresta, who is muttering quietly to herself. Finnick winks at me as we walk through the small town to the justice building. He explains that District 4 is split into three sections, upper, middle and lower. I register that we are currently walking through the upper section as some of the houses are as big as the ones in victors village. After about ten minuites of walking through the hot sun, I am already sweating and we are nearly at the justice building. No wonder the people from four are always tanned, working in the sun all day.

When we reach the justic building, the mayor greets us wearily. He sighs as his assistance comes to talk to him quietly but then plasters on a fake smile and escort us all to the doors. We wait in silence until the mayor announces me and I go out onto the stage. The crowd claps politely. On Ashton's side, there is a small boy about 11 in what I guess is there training outfit, and an older girl about 16, who is crying slightly. When she sees me looking she straightens her back and puts her head up, trying to keep calm. The boy glares at me angrily, but his look is nothing compared to the looks on Michelle's families faces. They all stare at me angrily, about 9 different people but all looking angrily as one. I look down, and then begin my speech.

The party passes without any troubles, the people of four even singing and laughing as we dance. The only problem that sticks with me throughout the night is that a small girl, maybe 10 or 11, comes up too me and asks me how fun it is to be in the games. I tell her that it isn't fun. She laughs it off and tells me she's already out to volounteer when she's older, training with 16 and 17 year olds even though she's only 12. I pat her gently on the back and tell her I wish her luck. She smiles and flounces off, her curly brown her dancing over her tanned shoulders.

We leave the party at 11 as we have to be up early for district 3. With the long journey and the time zones, we'll be there for 1 tommorow afternoon if we leave as soon as possible. We all stumble back to the train and fall asleep quickly.

Puff wakes me up at the unearthly time of half past seven and tells me that president snow is demanding we come up with a skill for me. I nervously tell her that I've been drawing a few things down, the sea in four, the power plants in five, row after row of field in 10, and that maybe I could use those. She sends me to fetch them and then promises to show them to snow immediately. Blight gently reminds me that we're arriving in three soon, so I go to the room and get changed into the silvery dress that my stylist has left out for me. He throws a brush at me and tells me to get changed, dropping a pair of silvery boots on the floor before he leaves. I childishly stick my tounge out at his back and then start getting ready. I have just brushed my hair to perfection when a voice crackles through the train saying "We are arriving in District 3 momentarily".

When we get out onto the platform, I notice that District 3 is mainly a mass of factories and little squat houses. The air is almost black with smoke from factories. We arrive at the justice building late, so we have to walk through the angry crowds to get to the stage. Blight just has time to tell me that the girl tribute was called Anna and the boy was called Stephen. She was 12 and he was 15. The mayor rushes through an obviously awkward speech and then I run through mine quickly. I don't want to make this experience any worse than it should be. For Anna, there is her parents, a younger boy and Two younger girls. There is also one older girl who looks about 16, with tears streaming down her cheeks. I bet she wished she volunteered for Anna. On Stephens side, there is an old couple, around 80, holding the arm of ten year old boy. They are all crying, but have their heads held up high.

We spend a few hours at the dinner and I spend at least an hour of it talking to Anna's sister, Belle. She tells me Anna was 12 three days before the reaping, so she didn't take any tessarae. Belle had her ankle in a cast and was in hospital, which reminds me of Hunters situation with Ethan. She was immune from the reaping for that year, and so Anna was reaped with no one to volunteer for her.

We finally go at half ten and I hug her sister goodbye. The next few days are going to be difficult. District 1 and 2 and then the Capitol. I hope I'm ready for this.


	32. Chapter 32

**Guess who's back?;)**

I roll awake when I hear talking in the main cart. Forcing my eyes open, I look at the clock and it says 3:42. I crinkle my face in confusion and quietly tiptoe towards the door of the main cart. Puff and Blight are talking. I hear Blight say "Do you think she suspects about the rebels?". Puff is quiet for a second and says "No. There's no way she could. We've all been so careful".  
"What if she knows?"  
"I bet she'd want to join it"  
"We can't let her"!  
"I know".

They both fall into silence again and I sneak back to my room and curl up back under the silky covers. What is happening with rebels? What does Blight know? And Puff? And what does it have to do with me?

Puff storms into my room a few hours later and tells me its time for District 2. My stomach clenches but I pull myself out of my duvet cave and into the shower before the prep team can descend on me. Both of the tributes from 2 we're killed by tributes from 7, the girl by me on Day 4 and the boy on Day 10 by Forest. Its not going to make it any better that he almost made it and the girl begged for mercy from me after her hands were melted by acidic algae. I get out of the shower after spending so long there that I look like a raison and head to the dining cart for some breakfast. Blight grunts at me and Charlie and Puff Smile at me. I throw myself into a chair and get some waffles which I then drown in syrup. Puff clears her throat. "As you know, we'll be stopping in District 2 today. I need you to be on your best behaviour here. The games are treated like a festivity, and we get to have a tour of their training centre". I nod and she carries on. "The girls name was Brittany, and the Boy was called Bryndon. You killed her remember, so make sure you make some speech about that". I nod again and Puff summons the prep team to help me get ready. They dress me in skin tight black trousers and combat boots, and a vest top and a checked shirt on top. This is the most 'me' outfit so far, and they tell me that the Mayor suggested I should wear something that I could train in, as they would like to get me involved. This puts me in a good mood and I start thinking it might actually be good day.

We dock in District 2 and I am escorted to the justice building by some armed guards. There seems to be parties going on and people clap and cheer as I walk past. They seem happy to have me here.

The mayor makes the usual short speech before I go out and I step out onto the grim stage of the justice building. On Brittany's side, there are her parents, and then two boys, one young and one old. They all stand proudly. On Bryndons side, there are two men, standing next to each other, heads held high. There is also a little girl in front of them and, although she is crying, she too stands proud. I make the usual speech, but instead of apologizing for their deaths like I do in other Districts, I thank them for their service in the games and how brave and proud they were. The audience claps, and I am whisked off to the training centre.

The district 2 training centre is huge, almost as big as the one in the capitol. Aside from the main gym, there is a shooting range, electronically controlled stimulators, a actual games stimulator, a gym, a cafeteria and 6 separate private training room. There are 5 young children training in one of the rooms, all about 7 and they stop and wave at me. In the main gym, there are lots of people training at separate sections. The mayor hands me an axe and the peacekeepers shout at the kids to move to the outsides of the room. One of them hits a button and hundreds are dummies spring up around me. I go into my hunger games mindset and chop through the never ending supply of dummies, curtseying to the kids watching me when I finish. They clap and I am dragged off again to the Dinner.

Although District 2 is a career district, the meal is uneventful. So uneventful that I get bored quickly and slip off into one of the rooms leading from the ballroom. Then I run through some corridors and some more and finally into a room. It is a huge room with a dome over it. Along all of the walls are covered in posters, of District 2, of 1, of all other districts I don't recognise and posters of other things too, guns, weapons I can't name, peacekeeper outfits. I don't understand. What does District 2 have to do with peacekeepers? After a few minutes of looking around, I leave for the party again.

Luckily, no one missed me and Puff quickly announces that we have to get back to the train so we can make it to District 1 on time. I sit cross-legged on my bed for a while, thinking about my discovery this morning, the posters in two. Luckily, its been a long day and I soon fall asleep.


	33. Chapter 33

Tonight, I dream about Hunter's Death. His last few hours. He was only 13, so everyone thought he'd die in the bloodbath. He lasted only a few days, cameras flicking to him occasionally to remind us he is -no, was- still alive. I relive his death in slow motion, over and over again. His small screams, tears rolling down his cheeks no matter how hard he tries to hold them in. He calls for me again and again, even though he knows I am powerless to save him, even if I was in the arena with him, I would never be able to fight off all those careers at once. The careers hold him down even though they know there is no way he can get away. He's too small, the arena against his skills and lacking in water and food. They draw patterns on his skin with the knife, turning the snow around him a bloody red. He stays silent for the last few minuites, surely being able to feel the life draining out of him with his blood. The most compassionate career that year leans across and draws a thin knife across his throat, ending it much sooner than the other careers intended and resulting in both her and Hunter's death. The careers leave him as his life runs out, not waiting for the cannon. But the cameras do, and they catch his last word on his last breathe- "Johanna". **(A/N: I haven't updated this in forever and as far as I remember, I didn't write anything about Hunters game and/or death, so this is what I'm going with from now on. If you remember anything, feel free to tell me and ill change it)**

My eyes snap open, only to be blinded by the sun coming in through the train window. I force myself out of bed in the attempts of forgetting my most recent nightmare. A shiver runs down my spine. Hunters last words freak me out everytime. He knew I'd be watching, Knew I'd be cheering him on, and maybe wanted to remind me that he knew? That I should keep fighting? Maybe he should have reminded Ethan so stay strong, so he wouldn't have gotten himself killed and left me alone for good. A wave of anger washes over me. Okay Johanna know is not the time. Shower. Food. District 1. The bpy died on the third day by my hands and ,after a scalding, strawberry-smelling shower, Puff informs me that his name was Mason. The girl was killed by him, on the second day whilst the group of careers argued about who got the last kill. Her name was Diamond. Puff remarks about how its 'such a beautiful name' and me and Blight snort into our cereal. She follows this up by telling us that we will be met from the station by the victors of the 63rd and 64th Hunger games, Cashmere and Gloss. I remember their games well, the 63rd being the first one my mum let me watch, at 8 years old. I spent most of his games hiding behind a pillow as he left a trail of blood and death behind him in the arena. He rejected the careers, instead choosing to go off by himself. It made him the main target, but somehow he avoided them to win. And Cashmere. I remember hating her the minuite she got reaped. Blonde hair, blue eyes, the attitude of a princess. The capitol loved that. She was a sure winner. But I do remember her getting off the train in tears as her parents died when the screen displaying the games had caught fire. They'd been given a special seat to watch the games from, and it went up in flames. But they still had a younger sister, Glimmer I believe her name is. Knowing what I know now, maybe I know why they died and why they kept Glimmer alive.

An hour later, 3 clothes changes, 4 different hair styles and countless screams from Puff, we pull up at the District 1 station. They finally dressed me in a short, skin tight dress like the one I wore in the final interviews, but this time in silver. My hair is so short that im unsure how they managed to even think of 4 different styles, but they went back to the first style they tried anyway. One thing I did not expect, even from District 1, is the fact that people are lining the streets to catch a glimpse of me. They cheer when I get off the train, Gloss winking at me and kissing my hand whist Cashmere kisses my cheek and declares I look 'utterly fabulous'. But no matter how hard they try, there is no hiding the anger behind their eyes.

We make it to the Justice Building and I can hear the chatter running through the crowd outside. It sickens me that they love this, that they view it as fun or as a sport. When the mayor introduces me, there is a massive cheer. Im hoping its because I didn't kill anyone from this district, but deep down I'm sure that they're like this with every victor. For the boy Mason, there is a teenage boy and a younger girl, with their mum and dad. None of them are sad, but they are holding onto each other like its the last time they'll ever see each other. Which in this world, you never know when it will be. On Diamonds side, they're is no one but a little girl about 7 years old and my heart breaks a little. Why did she volunteer when she could be leaving this little girl behind? Who does that? No way she could of been that confident in winning. I hope she's okay, I hope that someone is looking after her. I'll have to find out later. I push it to the back of my mind and make the speech, my voice cracking only once as I accidentally make eye contact with the little girl who has tears rolling down her cheek. The crowd don't seem to notice and I begin to exit the stage to loud cheers. But I see the little girl again, and I know I have to say something. I step forward to the mic again, and the crowd falls silent. My allotted speaking time is over. But I have to do this. I look the little girl directly in the eyes and speak to her:

'I'm sorry. I'm sorry that your sister left you behind. I'm sorry that you have no one else. I know how it feels. I had a little brother. He was kind of like you, and he was my best friend'. I pause to clear my throat and wipe a tear that is rolling down my face. 'I didn't kill your sister, but I killed 6 people'. I turn you look at the other podium. 'Including your brother and son. And im sorry for that. Im sorry- to both of you- that you lost someone and your family will never be the same again. I'm sorry that I'm standing here and not them like you hoped for. I really am sorry'.

I rub tears from my eyes and finally turn to leave. You could here a pin drop in the audience. That is the ultimate sign of respect from district 1- no cheering, no noice. Pure silence. There is not a dry eye in the square as I finally exit the stage.

Cashmere and Gloss ambush me at the party later. My heart is still heavy from the square. They both pat me awkwardly on the back and say 'Its okay, you did the right thing' 'it wasn't your fault' 'you didn't need to apologise'. They finally leave me alone and when they do, I catch sight of the girl from Diamonds podium, whos attacking a plate of food like its the only thing she's eaten all week. Which I guess it might be. I sit next to her and she looks up startled. When she realises its me, she throws her arms around my neck and hugs me tight. We stay this way for a while, ignoring the party around us and sharing the grief the games have caused us. By the end of the night, we still haven't said a word to each other, I still don't know her name, but I've made a vow to myself. I will stop these games. They will end. No more people should feel what we feel. No 7 year old should be mourning her older sister after she watched her get her throat slit. No 14 year old should watch her younger brother get tortured for entertainment. No more twins both losing their lives, no more dead 12 year olds. I'm done. I won't let it happen anymore.


	34. Chapter 34

I wake up slowly the next morning. My heart is heavy and my head is still hurting from District 1. Today we have the Capitol and then I can finally go back to my home in District 7. I've been waiting for it since the day we left.

When I get to the Dining Cart, Puff is still running around frantically as she attempts to organize everything down to the exact second. Blight is sat with his head on the table, occasionally lifting it to take a sip of black coffee and nibble a pancake. Charlie is curled up on the one of the plush sofas. She looks just like how I feel- tired and fed up. I think she wants to get home as well. Puff shrieks when she sees me (I'm pretty sure the pitch of her voice cracked a window somewhere) and forces me to sit at the table and choke down two cups of coffee and a plate of food, even though I feel very sick already. By the time my horrible stylist appears, I can feel the caffeine buzzing through my veins. So ready for this.

We pull up in the Capitol three hours later. In this time, my horrifically annoying prep team have cut and styled my hair, re-done my nails, applied a bucket of makeup to my face and applied fake tan and glitter to my body. Once they have left, my stylist forces me into a silvery dress that grazes the floor as I walk, as well as silver heels. He puts bracelets on my wrist and a necklace on. On my head, he puts a recreation of the Victors Crown in silver with diamantes on it that make it glitter and shine in the light. I am ready to face the Capitol which is good, because my stomach has started churning in anticipation of being back in the room where 23 of my fellow tributes spent their last few days alive. And then I think of the fact that I will have to be back as the female mentor for many coming years and I feel even worse. And then I think about how Charlie and Blight have done this for many years and I have to stop thinking before I actually throw up over the stylist and make him hate me more.

Getting from the train to car to take me to the Training Centre is a difficult process as their are many people waiting to try and get a glimpse of me. It takes a full twenty minutes to get there as at least 20 peacekeepers keep the crowd back. Luckily its only a short ride to there so we don't have to travel for long as when we get there I am whisked straight to the stage where I had my Crowning as I have to have another interview with Caesar. He has red hair and makeup and suit as he's giving me the impression that he's bleeding which is quite terrifying. I'm barely seated when the production team begins counting down and the cameras are broadcasting to all of Panem. He breezes through the first couple of questions. He asks about family and I spit out 'They're dead'. He looks shocked and I avoid answering questions after this, staring at the cameras in anger instead. I do talk a little about the house given to me by the Capitol, because as much as I hate them, it is very nice and very fancy, as well as how much the district likes the food packages. I also talk a little about Blight and Charlie and the elderly victor Ryan, and how I'm grateful for them. Caesar wraps up quickly though after I shut off, and it's over within the next 10 minuites.

I am once again shoved in a car, but this time to the presidents mansion for the final party of the victory tour before I get to go home and be alone until the games roll around again. When we arrive, the gardens are almost ready for the party and Puff is in pieces when we realise that I only (only?) have two hours to re-do my hair and makeup before the party. Luckily, im too busy thinking to pay much attention to what im wearing but I do notice that it weighs an incredible amount. How am I supposed to walk in this? Luckily, The next two hours fly by and suddenly I'm about to be presented to the Capitol. Puff instructs me that I must follow 15 seconds after Blight and Charlie enter. I take a deep breathe. My Prep Team goes out. Then the stylist 10 seconds later. Then Puff enters 15 seconds later. Then the mentors.

1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10...11

I start moving towards the doors

12...13...14

I push the double doors open and the lights of the Capitol party flashes in my face. I force a smile on my face and wave at the crowd. The heavy dress brushes my ankles as I walk down the steps, holding onto the bannister for dear life with the hand that's not waving at the crowd just in case I trip over in my heels, which is a serious possibility as my legs are trembling. When I get to the bottom of the stairs, the crowd closes in behind me and surges forward to push me towards the front near where President Snow is standing. He smiles his evil snake-like grin at me and helps me to the front of the crowd. I don't hear him but he must introduce me as the crowd goes insane and begins dancing to the very loud music. Snow lets go off me and slithers off into the mansion.

Over the course of the night I dance with many Capitol people- a man with blue skin and orange eyes, a woman with purple flower tattoos around her eyes, someone dressed as a tree in my honour. I also see many gamemakers. Senaca Crane is introduced to me, the head gamemaker for my games. His beard is strange. I also meet someone called Plutarch Heavensbee who talks to me quietly so I only catch a few words- District 7, Senaca, Snow, The Hunger Games. Im pretty sure he mentions District 13 too, but its that loud that I'm not sure, so I just nod and smile, but he leaves looking pleased with himself.

It hits 3am when I'm officially done. I sit on a bench in one of the gardens with a plate of some sort of jelly, shoes discarded and im sure my makeup is smudged. How do the Capitol people do this all night? Luckily, I'm kept awake for a bit longer by the appearance of Finnick Odair. His sunkissed skin is sparkling with glitter in the artificial light and his hair is dyed turquoise to match his eyes. He smiles and sits next to me, leaning his head on my shoulder. He's probably 20 now, so with only a few years between us we could probably be good friends back in my District. We sit in silence for a while before he says "Did Plutarch talk to you?"  
I nod at him and he quietly says "So what do you think about it?"  
I snort softly. "I don't know", I reply. "The music was so loud, I couldn't hear a word he was saying. I got a bit about Seneca and something about Snow but not much else". I decide to stay quiet about District 13, the Mansion is definitely bugged and I don't want to get anyone in trouble.  
Finnick winks at me and says "Yeah he really likes them".  
I grin back at him and he pulls me up by my had.  
"C'mon", he says. "Two victors dancing. Lets give the Capitol something to talk about".

I spend the rest of the night dancing and talking with Finnick. We do have a lot in common and a similar sense of humour so when Puff finally tells me when we can go home at 6am, I've had tears rolling down my cheeks for the last 2 hours and I'm pretty sure I've got abs from how much laughing I've done. I say goodbye to Finnick and promise to stay in touch and we go to say bye to the people I need to say goodbye to out of respect.

By 6:30, we're on the train and all in bed. When I wake up, i'll nearly be home.

**Any time I make promises on this, I always have no motivation to write but currently I'm really enjoying writing and I've got so many ideas so hopefully I'll get updates up a bit quicker than usual. Reviews? - Skywitch xo**


	35. Chapter 35

DISTRICT 7! Im home!

I'm ready and showered within 10 minutes, my evil stylist gets me dressed, I eat my last capitol breakfast until the next games. Blight and Charlie laugh at me as I pace around the Dining Cart munching on waffles. Puff seems excited too, probably hoping to get back to the Capitol and not have to spend everyday with me. She'll be happy to see the back of me I think. I just want to get home. I want to go back to sitting around and reading a lot and being by myself. Luckily, the train arrives within the next hour. I run to the window and see crowds of people waiting by the station. The elderly victor Ryan is sat at the entrance, waiting to see us. When the train doors open, I jump straight off the train. I have to stay for a few minuites and wave at the cameras, but then im allowed to walk to the justice building to make my final speech and have the long-awaited street party. One of the Distirct 7 victor traditions is that we have a street party in the square, which means that they'll be food and music and everyone will leave with a full stomach.

Unfortunately, I have to make a speech first. I especially don't want to do this one as I killed my District partner Forest. He expected that he would win the final fight, and he didn't. I don't want to face his family, people who I may have known before, parents who have lost a child and siblings who have lost a brother, maybe a girlfriend or a boyfriend, all of them will be at the party tonight. I know I will speak to them properly, apologise like I should have when I got back from the games. The mayor is busy introducing me to the crowd in the square and I push open the doors and wave to everyone. Im glad to be back. I make a short speech, a little about the arena and the tour and the Capitol. I talk about the other Victors as well. I try and tell some fun stories about Forest before the games, but I spent most of it crying or training in my room so I didn't spend much time with him. On a podium for him, there is his parents and three younger siblings, two boys and a girl, aged about 7, 13 and 16 I'd guess. Luckily I don't have to look at them long because people seem to want the speeches over and the street party to begin.

My entrance into the square after the speeches marks the start of the party. Someone presses play and poppy music begins to play over the speakers. The bakers bring in cakes and breads and people begin to eat and dance. The party is funded partly by the Capitol and partly by the Victors, which obviously we all agreed to. Several younger children grab me by the hand and begin to dance around the square with me. They remind me so much of Hunter when he was younger. They're so carefree, not old enough for the games to be a scary subject for them. They most likely don't even know why we're celebrating as most younger children aren't allowed to watch the games. To them, it is a night where they will go home with a full stomach and happy memories.

After an hour of dancing, I attempt to go and find Forest's family. I wander in circles a few times and I have to ask 4 different people, but I eventually find them sat with their backs against the wall of the Justice Building, holding plates of food but staring at it like its just killed their mother or something. His dad notices me first and gets up quickly. I'm about to open my mouth and speak- to say what, I don't know- but his strong lumberjack arms cut me off with a hug.

"It's okay", he says soothingly. "It wasn't your fault".

He lets go off me and his mum hugs me too. They are so like my parents that it makes me sad. I highfive the two boys and hug the girl, who is probably about my age whilst the boys are younger. We all sit back on the floor together, the mood having lifted somewhat.

We all talk for the next 40 minuites. They don't in any way blame me for Forest's death, but they recommend I avoid his grandparents who are mad that we were the last two as they believed he should have won it easily. They tell me a bit about him before the games, and about how he was supposed to get through his final reaping and begin helping his dad in the forest, of course. When we part ways, they tell me that I must go over and eat with them at some point. They want to get to know me and I seem like a nice person they say. I'm not sure where this impression comes from, but I promise to go and visit at some point in the next month. Their daughter Poppy tells me that she may come and talk to me at some point, as we seem to have a lot in common and we could be good friends. I promise her too. I leave them feeling a little lighter and slightly less guilty about the whole situation.

The people of District 7 don't party that often, but when we do, we do it properly. By 11pm many people are completely drunk of our version of alcohol and even the younger children have the look of euphoria in their eyes that comes from having a full stomach and a night of fun. I decide to go back to dancing. I drag Blight and Charlie to dance with me and even convince Ryan to shuffle around the makeshift dance floor a little, no matter how much he complains about his creaky joints. The party dies at around 3am. People I used to go to school with have been playing drinking games and I've now seen too many of them naked and learnt a lot that's made me look at them slightly differently. Apparently the woods are good for not being caught when you and someone else are up to something. Who knew? They're all slightly less innocent in my eyes. I do end up telling Poppy a lot about the Capitol- mostly about the food- but some stuff about the people and the building. She tells me about what 7 was like when I was in the games and after I won. Apparently, people backed up Forest and tried to pretend I didn't exist until I killed the girl with the algae, and then they started to support me too. They all watched the final in the square, and people were so sure Forest would win, so when I won, everyone was silent for a few minutes before erupting in cheers. Nice to know they like me now. Kind of.

The mayor rounds up the party at 4:30am, as many people still have to be working for 7am in the morning, although I think he is trying to push it back so he can sleep later too. I think that's probably a good plan, I have nothing to do so i'll take advantage of that and lie in bed all day tomorrow. Technically today. But whatever.

I trudge back to my house in Victors Village with Blight and Charlie. I think Ryan went to bed around 12pm, so we all walk together in silence. When we get there, we hug each other. Me and Charlie kiss each other on the cheek and she jokingly says "Stay in touch". Blight hugs me tightly and pats me lightly on the cheek. No words. We get each other.

My house is silent and there is a thin layer on dust on everything. I vow to get it cleaned within the next few days when I finally decide to be productive and get out of bed. I hate how quiet it is, so I begin humming some of the songs played at the street party. Im glad I came home. 'I may not have any family', I think as I get in bed. 'But I guess I've got a new one now'. I feel less alone as I slip into the world of sleep.


	36. Chapter 36

_A month after the end of the Victory Tour_

People in District 7 seem to have gotten angrier over the last month. I think that the thing that set it off was the death of Ryan. Maybe our dancing at the Street Party wore him out, as just 8 days after, me and Charlie went to check on him like we did everyday to find that he'd gone to bed and not woken up. The whole of the District attended his funeral and all us Victors watched his games together. He was fighting to get home to his girlfriend who he married the day she turned 18. Apparently she died 7 years a go, which is probably why I dont remember her. Our little family is one member smaller.

Today is time for the meal with Forest's Family. I've met up with his sister Poppy a few times in town and we seem to get on well but I don't want to jinx anything. I think it'll be more than a little strange if I have to look at the family of the boy I killed to come home. But they insisted it would be okay, which is how I now find myself stood outside of their small house just on the boundary of the woods. I've already stood here for at least 2 minuites, trying to convince myself that I can do this, I can knock on the door and I can have dinner with them, all I have to do is knock on the door. I know what it is that stopping me. The day after Ryan's death, I got a call from President Snow who once again invited me to be a part of his 'Elite Group'. I said no again, theres no one left that I love, so why should I? He hasn't got anyone to hurt. I know that if I get to close to anyone, he will kill them and ask me again and again until I stop talking to people or I accept his offer. With that terrifying thought, I finally convince myself to knock lightly on the door.

Someone from inside calls "It's open!", so I push the door gently and see that I could have made the job a lot easier if i'd have just tried that in the first place, as it is in fact already open. Poppy is the first the get to me and she quickly gives me a tight hug. Her younger brothers- I'm pretty sure they're twins- shake my hand, properly introducing themselves as Lorcan and Lysander. Forest's mum hugs me and kisses me on the cheek, whilst his dad pats me on the back, telling me to call them Daisy and Elm. We sit around a table as a fire blasts in the corner and the rain pours down outside. We wait for the meal to finish cooking- it smells like some kind of meat- whilst eating warm loaves of District 7 bread. I try to establish how well off this family is. Forest was much bigger than me, indicating he was well-fed, but he was also strong. Lorcan and Lysander look like they could do with a bit more meat on them, but they aren't old enough to start working that much in the woods yet, which could be why. Poppy is thin, but you can see the muscles in her legs when she walks and the strength behind the way she moves. She must work in the Forest too. Or perhaps these are developments of the last few months without Forest. Longer working hours to compensate, perhaps less money coming in so less food, grief- all 3 have most likely been a combination to this result. Their house is small but not tiny. As soon as they serve the food though, I abandon this train of thought. I'm actually in danger of drooling as I wait for them to finish serving everyone. We talk all the way through dinner, laughing and joking in a similar way to how my family felt. Its a similar set up too. Lorcan and Lysander remind me a little of Ethan and Hunter when they were younger, even though Ethan was older. Poppy reminds me slightly of my Aunt before she died- fiercely protective and a very determined person. Daisy and Elm are just like my parents. They laugh and joke with us throughout the meal too. I leave later that night feeling a lot happier. They didn't ask me about the games or talk about Forest, probably in an effort to make me feel more comfortable with them.

When I get home, the phone rings and rings but I ignore it as I can see its from the Capitol and I don't want to talk to Puff or Snow unless its really necessary. For the first time since I got back from the Victory tour, I fall into a dreamless sleep and actually wake up feeling refreshed rather than more tired than I did when I went to bed. I go downstairs and automatically I can tell that something is off. The back of my neck prickles and my hands are trembling. I can't place whats wrong until I get a call from Charlie because she is sick and wants company and I notice that in a vase by the phone, there is a single white rose. I drop the phone. Where have I seen that before? It's one of Snow's roses, it must be. Who else could produce such perfect flowers? Charlie is calling to me from the phone, but I leave it hanging off as I grab the rose and run into the main room. I light a fire quickly and throw it in viciously. Another one catches my eye, from a pot of dried flowers on the table. I grab that too and throw that on the fire. I run around the house quicker than I've ran since the games and collect the roses scattered around. There are 10 besides the 2 I already burnt and I slowly throw them on the fire. I can't let his threats take over my life. 'I am fine', I tell myself. 'I am safe'. I go back to the phone where Charlie is still waiting patiently. She gives me a minuite to calm down and, not wanting to make me explain, she goes back to telling me the story she was telling before I freaked out. We talk for another 10 minuites before ending the call, but I cant shake the uneasy feeling. Something is wrong.

I grab my coat and pull my boats on, run my hands through my short hair and leave my house. Sure enough, there is a single white rose planted outside my front steps. I rip it out of the ground, only to find that the roots bury deep, as if its been there for years. There is no way they could have done that overnight, but i'd definitely have noticed it before. I go back in my house and route around in the drawers until I find some scissors so I can cut it out instead. I ignore the thorns digging into my hands and throw it behind me. There is another one further down the path, and then another and another. Its like a trail. I follow it along cutting the flower off as I go. It leads me to the center of town. Someone is being whipped.

Forest's dad Elm is strapped to the whipping post, back marked with at least 30 lashes. Poppy is curled up on the floor, but I can see marks across her arms. I don't know where the twins or their mum is, and im not sure I want to know. I know that me trying to stop it will only make it worse, so I wait until the peacekeeper is done and stalks out of the square before running to them. Poppy bursts into tears when she sees me and then cries harder when she sees her dad. I try to help her but she shakes me off and screams at me "Find my brothers". I stumble backwards and run off in the direction of their house.

Daisy is washing up when I burst in through the door. I quickly gabble at her "Elm and Poppy have been whipped and she told me to find Lorcan and Lysander do you know where they are?". She looks at me shocked with tears pooling in her eyes. She points towards the woods.  
"There's a clearing in the woods where he trains the kids. They might be there"  
She hastily draws a map and I sprint off into the woods. The blood is pounding in my ears as I run towards the clearing. When I reach it, I see splashing of blood lacing the ground and the trees. There is a groaning from under one of the bushes nearby and I go to it. Lorcan is curled up under the bush holding tightly onto Lysander. There is an axe sticking out of Lysander's stomach. He has tears running down his face but he's trying not to let them show. I take one look at the injury and know that its too late. It's ruptured too many organs, and once a pool of blood has gotten too bug, there's no going back. But I try my best. I gently ease the axe out of his stomach, doing my best to ignore his cries of pain and take my jacket off so I can tie it round the wound to stop some of the bleeding. At least we'll be able to get him home first. I instruct Lorcan to grab Lysander's feet whilst I grab his shoulders so we can carry him back to the house.

When we get back, Poppy and Elm are sat on the kitchen table, Daisy trying to stitch up their wounds. They all look our way and jump off the table when they see us carrying Lysander. He's fully crying at this point. He's 11 years old at most, and I think he also knows that theres no going back from this. He holds tightly to Lorcan and Poppy's hands as we place his carefully on the table. His mum and dad are crying together and I attempt to wipe the tears from my own eyes. He is like Hunter. He knows its the end and he's going to die and there's nothing he can do about it, and his family know that too.  
His mum manages a choked "I love you".

Lysander smiles and says "I love you too". He turns to Lorcan. Their identical eyes lock and they both nod solemly. As twins, they have an unbreakable bond and we all know it. Lorcan sniffs and hugs him. "I love you I love you, thank you thank you, your my best friend and my brother and geez Ill miss you".

His voice cracks but he keeps eyes locked with Lysander. Lysander whispers his name and breathes his last breathe onto Lorcans hand. The energy in the room falls apart and everyone simultaneously burtsts into tears. Through the next half an hour, I get the story. Elm was training the kids when Peacekeepers arrived in the clearing. Poppy was throwing knives at the moment they walked in, so they took her and Elm to be whipped for breaking the no training rule. Lorcan and Lysander attempted to hide, but a peacekeeper caught them and 'accidently' threw an axe at them. According to Lorcan, he had a Capitol accent, not a District 2 or 7 one. He hit Lysander who fell over which caused it to drive in deeper. Lorcan managed to dodge one and the peacekeeper left in order to not miss the whippings. Lorcan already knew it was too late for Lysander after having grown up watching the games. He held onto him until I got there and bought him home. He dissolves into tears and can't tell me anymore. I help Daisy stitch up Poppy and Elm and tuck Lorcan into bed. All the time I'm there, I can feel the pieces connecting in my brain. Snow knew about my friendship with Forest's Family. I said no again. So he killed someone else. Took another child from the family. I don't remember leaving the house, but I end up back at home, curled up on the soft white carpet, too numb and tired to cry. A friendship i'm going to have to cut off unless I want more people to get hurt or killed. I robbed that family of two children with my actions, and I cant go near them again. I won't give Snow any more ammunition.

**I'm sorry, please don't hate me. Reviews?- Skywitch xo **


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